"I don't like them."
The words had escaped everyone's mouth almost at the same time, like they were sharing one mind.
Min-ho paused, looking over his shoulder.
Though not everyone's eyes met his, no one wanted to redact what they had just said.
Min-ho didn't respond immediately. What he was concerned about was if one of the strangers had a super-hearing Affinity.
He sighed, then faced forward.
"I didn't either, but don't you guys think..." Min-ho paused as a sudden surge of pain shot from his waist up to his rib.
He almost lost his footing had he not held himself in place.
The group halted, Im-hee rushing to Min-ho's side in an attempt to check on him. But he balled his fists and forced himself up before she could reach him.
Noticing his intentional avoidance of her healing touch, Im-hee frowned, irritation sparking in her heart.
Standing straight, Min-ho turned to the row of doors lining the left side of the hallway, then the right.
There were doors every few intervals, with statues in between each. Above the doors were those glowing crystals, each carved into a different animal or object.
The colors they emitted were a soft ocean blue, which gave the hallway a serene feel.
Min-ho turned to the nearest door.
"Let's pick a room and head in, don't know how much longer I can stay standing."
"Let's pick that one," Ji-su said, pointing at the third door to the right of the hallway.
Seeing it had drawn a crease along Min-ho's brows. Perhaps there was a reason Ji-su wanted that room in particular, but he wished he'd have picked one closer.
"Come on," Ji-su said, leading the charge.
Min-ho followed with a bit of reluctance, before returning his attention to their unanimous prejudices.
"Don't you all think you're saying this because of what happened at the Event?" Min-ho asked, dragging his feet.
"They seem off," Jang-book said.
"They didn't even have a speck of dirt on their clothing," Dok-su added.
"Their Zi was turned off, they must be hiding something," Ji-su said from the front.
Im-hee and Sae-wee both reserved their comments.
Min-ho took a second to process what had just been said.
"You..." he winced. "You can't just say someone seems off. Perhaps they changed their clothing, and we turned off our Zis too. They must have just forgotten to... to turn them back on."
"Are you seriously going to defend people you don't know?" Dok-su asked.
"I'm not trying to defend anyone, but I'm not trying to throw shade on anyone either." He glanced over his shoulder. "Do you all remember we need more members in our team if we want to grow faster? If there were six of us, taking down a Spector without Jang-book would be easier."
He returned his gaze to the path and said nothing more. The others did the same, thinking on Min-ho's words and reflecting on whether their prejudices had solid ground to stand on, or if they were just paranoid from past experiences.
"With all that being said," Min-ho said just as they reached the door to their room, "we still have to keep a close eye on them."
He placed a hand on the handle and pushed it open. What was waiting for them on the other side of the door was a large room housing six beds, three on either side of the wall.
In between each bed on the right side of the wall were windows veiled with black curtains that fluttered against the night's air.
Under each window were small cupboards, with an empty vase overhead.
On the left wall, the beds also had cupboards in between them, but in the middle was a door leading to a functional bathroom.
Looking at it all, Min-ho along with the others felt out of place.
Though everyone knew that Safe Zones, compared to the other buildings in the worlds of the Z-Tower, had certain levels of fidelity when it came to how whole or functional they were, no one was expecting a room in an almost pristine condition.
They slowly made their way in while gawking at the place, the look of an animal mesmerized by a foreign land etched all over their faces.
Everyone was astonished, to say the least.
"Isn't this great?" Ji-su asked.
Everyone was astonished, except for Ji-su, who had seen this room long before they came through its doors.
He walked over to the bed closest to them, then he bent low and ran his hand over the sheets.
Not even a speck of dust was present.
Acting like a child, he fell on it, once again rubbing his hands over its surface as though trying to make a snow angel.
The others stood for several moments before limping their way to a bed of their choosing.
Min-ho, on the other hand, grinned. His thoughts didn't remain on the beds for too long, as his attention was taken by the windows. The sight of the Fog stopping at the other side of the windows did not sit right with him.
He limped toward the window and pulled down the glass. Then he pulled closed the curtains, shutting the Fog out of sight.
Exhaling, Min-ho sat on the bed, only to feel like he was being sucked into a soft cloud.
The sensation and comfort the bed had brought was nothing short of ecstasy at this point.
He didn't hesitate for a second before falling back-first onto the bed, letting its softness envelope him.
Though the warm and soft embrace of a bed was most soothing, Min-ho still found the pain from his wounds still prevalent. As a matter of fact, it now seemed more painful now that he had laid down, letting whatever ounce of adrenaline in his bloodstream seep away.
Creating an avenue for the pain in his body to spread and intensify.
'If only that damned Shop would let us purchase more than one Blood Burner a day,' Min-ho thought with spite in his mind's voice.
Just then, he heard footsteps, prompting him to open his eyes. Once he had done so, he could see Im-hee walking over to him.
He sat up… tried to sit up, but now, his body wouldn't listen. He gulped as he felt tiny needles in his veins.
"Is… is something wrong?" Min-ho asked, gulping again.
"You're hurt... you all are," Im-hee said as she just sat beside him on the bed and placed both hands on his chest.
"Im-hee, you don't…"
She shook her head, cutting Min-ho off as she concentrated. Not long after, the pain in Min-ho's body began to subside, and transfer to her. She whimpered, and her body shook, but she didn't stop.