The night was thick with tension as the seven boys made their way back to the hidden passage.

The air was heavy, charged with an unspoken fear.

Jungwon, too weak to walk, was carried on Jay’s back. The older boy held him securely, his grip firm, yet gentle.

"Don't fall asleep," Jay muttered, voice low. "We're almost there."

Jungwon hummed weakly in response, his feverish body leaning against Jay's shoulder.

As they moved deeper into the hallway, their necklaces began to glow.

The familiar eerie light flickered, and then—

Words appeared across the pendants.

"Leave now, or join the others."

The warning sent a shiver down their spines.

Sunoo clutched his necklace, his fingers trembling. "I really hate this."

Jake swallowed hard. "It's too late to back out now."

Heeseung took a deep breath, glancing at the others. "Stay close. No matter what happens, do not get separated."

Jay tightened his grip on Jungwon. "You hear that? Stay with me."

Jungwon gave a small nod, though his pulse quickened.

Something was waiting for them.

And they had walked right into its trap.

---

The Room of Horrors

The rusty door groaned open.

A thick, rotten stench hit them immediately.

But that wasn’t what made their stomachs churn.

It was the sight.

Skeletons hung from the walls.

Some were bound in chains, their mouths frozen in eternal screams.

On the side of the room, a glass case displayed severed eyeballs—perfectly preserved.

Sunghoon took a sharp step back, nearly tripping over a pile of discarded bones. "What the hell is this place?!"

Ni-ki stared, fists clenched. "It's a slaughterhouse."

Their eyes scanned the room, then stopped at the pictures hanging on the walls.

Teachers.

Faces crossed out. Scratched. Destroyed.

"This is… a hit list," Heeseung muttered, his voice dangerously low.

Then—

A soft gasp.

Jungwon’s breath hitched as his gaze landed on something worse.

A massive pot sat in the center of the room, filled with a dark, thick paste.

And inside—

Chopped-up body parts.

Jungwon’s stomach lurched. His body tensed against Jay’s back, his breathing shallow.

"Put me down," he whispered.

Jay hesitated, but slowly, he let Jungwon stand. The younger boy swayed slightly but held his ground.

And that’s when he saw them.

The corpses.

Scattered across the room—bodies stripped of flesh, left to rot.

But what made Jungwon’s blood run cold—

Each one of them wore a necklace.

The same necklaces they had.

Jungwon’s breath stopped.

"No…"

Jake stepped back. "They were—"

Ni-ki’s hands shook. "The last ones before us."

They weren’t the first.

And if they didn’t escape—they wouldn’t be the last.

A deep, gut-wrenching silence fell over them.

Then—

A soft click.

The door behind them locked.

And a voice.

"You boys are quite special, aren't you?"

A slow, delighted giggle.

The cafeteria lady stood by the door, grinning.

Her butcher knife dripped with fresh blood.

Her eyes were wide, gleaming with something twisted.

But her gaze wasn’t on all of them.

It was on Jungwon.

The smile on her face widened.

She giggled again, then let out a blood-curdling laugh.

She lifted the knife—pointing directly at Jungwon.

"I've been waiting for you."