Hourglass

T//W: angst/gore (?)

We have plenty of time. I'm pretty sure we're going to make it. That's what I thought about, and I'm pretty sure I looked dumb while saying that.

The wind is blowing. You can hear the sounds of waves, and maybe some seagull. It is calming, but not for me, a lonely person, or should I call myself a pirate? A ship is broken and split into two. The other part of the ship, which I'm sure was the place where most of my comrades were before the accident happen is missing. They'd be died for sure. I am crying, alone as I am the only survivor.

Beside me are some stuffs that I hold all the time. A wet map, broken compass, a spyglass that have blur point of view, a wet and broke radio, a wand, and an hourglass. They won't be working anymore, I'm sure.

I looked at the hourglass in front of me, before sighing again. Should I? What if it happens again? I think I should. But what if they die again? What if, it's our fate, that I must live alone? the wind blow and some sand get into my eyes. I shock and twitch my eyes. I looked back at the hourglass and the broken ship. Tears running down from my eyes, again.

I have to make sure before I leave. I get up and go to the ship. I climbed the broken ship, get in and find my comrades that was inside this part of ship before the incident happened. There are three bodies, one has lost some parts of the body, one lost the head, and another last is in a perfect condition. I approach the bodies, to know the identity of my comrades that are here.

The first one is Yunho. I feel like I'm throwing up, but I go past the body and go to the second body and that body is unknown since the head is missing. The third body is Mingi's. It's my fault. This time, it worse. A black fedora that I found I take and cover Mingi's head before I cry again.

Should I do it? Or should I not? I get out from the broken ship and go to where I left all my belongings. I stare at the hourglass again. Can I find them again? More important, Can I find the treasure? Will there be them? Should I make them our comrades? Or should I just let them be our enemy? Urgh, thinking about them itself make me feel stressed. What a f*cking burden doppleganger.

Maybe I should do it. This is the last time, where I will break the universe's norms. I will make no mistakes, just like last eight turns.

...

I wake up. My vision catches the glimpse of steel zinc, and I twitch my eyes. I sit up. Oh, I'm back. On the table, the hourglass is there, along with all my belongings from last turn with some things that I lost from the exploration.

There are the broken compass, a wand, the blurred spyglass, the broken radio, a map, a box of matches, the hourglass, a small clear cube, and a black fedora and a nametag.

I take the map and open it. It's free from dirt and spotless too. I take a look at the other stuffs too and the warehouse's door is opened by someone. A guy with starlight hair and red ruby eyes gets inside the warehouse.

"Ya, Park Hongjoong!" He shouts my name before sits beside me. I smile and shake his hand. "Finish school already, Kim Seonghwa?" I asked and he nods his head. He put a box of meal on the table while I put all my belongings inside the bag under the table.

"The others except for San and yeosang will be here after playing at the arcade." Seonghwa say, as he pulls out bottles of energy drink. I frown, before I remember. San is going to move again. Yeosang has strict parents so I understand. I take one fried chicken from the box and eat. Seonghwa shake his head before getting up and leave to take some cups.

The door is opened again, and four highschool boys get inside the warehouse. One has some bruises at his face, while another one has eye bags under his eyes. The other one tie his hair into small ponytail and the last one has injured leg. They get inside and greet me, as they should.

We are eating peacefully, and the clock shows 5:07 as the time. I peek at the hourglass inside my bag, and it's glowing. It's about time. A message pop up from the injured, Jongho's phone and he take a look at it. The door is opened forcefully and a boy with messy school attire and a boy who is holding a bag barge inside. Jongho looked at the bruised boy, Mingi and suddenly get mad.

"Mingi!" Jongho says as he pushes Mingi. I look at the hourglass, and the hourglass starts to count. Wait, it happens a bit late. No, that's not important. For now, at least. I run towards my belongings and take out the wand. Many things happen right now. Should I? Should I swing it? Seonghwa realizes and he try to stop me.

"Hongjoong! What the heck are you doing?" But Seonghwa's a bit late. I swings the wand and all I can see right now is a white flash flashing through my eyes.

...

I wake up. Now, I'm in phase two. I get up and in front of me right now is a desert. Seonghwa and the ponytail haired kid, Wooyoung are here, with me. Just like the turns before. Seonghwa and Wooyoung both are dumb, trying to understand what is currently happen.

I know what I have to do. The black fedora I wear and I'm going to take a different path, not like the other eight turns. "Are you guys believe in me?" I ask. Both of them frown before nodding. " Of course. What do you mean hyung?" asks Wooyoung. I shouldn't let him meet his other self. I give them a small smile and hold out the hourglass.

"All you need to do is just follow me, wherever I go or no matter I do. We have to find the others before I explain everything and we start our journey." I say again before smile in pain. They're dumb, that's for sure. I'm rushing everything up here, It's so not me.

They hold the hourglass too, and we dissapear.

...

We arrive in a building that look like a museum. "Why do I get deja vu?" Asks Wooyoung. I grin. His sense is sharper than I thought. "Well, Seonghwa, I need you to do something for me." I say and I put the black fedora from my head to Seonghwa's head.

"What is it?" Seonghwa asks. I grin again before I say," find Choi Yeosang. And you must avoid a room with mirrors to prevent unwanted events." I wink and I say again. "I will find Jung San. Wooyoung, follow me." I say and go to the direction where San currently is using my memories of turns.

"Hyung, what are we doing here?" Wooyoung asks me as we sprint through the hallway to find A room where San is. "Just shut your mouth for the time being. We need to success, no matter what." I say and stop in front of a door.

I open the door slowly, and a boy is there, around him is shattered mirrors. It's everywhere. I can see the reflection. A man in all black is there as reflection of San. He looked at me and Wooyoung. Without hesitation, Wooyoung grabs San's wrist and get out from the room.

"Oh my God, are you alright?" asks Wooyoung, worry. San gives no reponse. I know why. It's because of them. I run to where Seonghwa's heading to and both of them follow me. We arrive at a main hall, where there is a big box is displayed. There are three persons there. Oh my God. Seonghwa's doomed.

"Woosan, wait here. Don't you guys ever dare to come to save me, no matter what happen." I said but Wooyoung try to protest. "But, Hyung--"

I run towards Seonghwa and snatch the hourglass from his hand. Both Seonghwas are shocked. There are two Seonghwas and Yeosang.

"Oh, the captain is already here?" asks Seonghwa who wears all black. I stare at him. Seonghwa immediately take Yeosang and get out from the main hall. "You know what, Captain Park? You're late." Seonghwa in all black says again before he throws a smoke bomb and disappear.

Don't tell me they got the stuff already? Shet. I forgot they are just like me. I couldn't waste more time. I go to my comrades and bring them to the front of a collapsed drawing of a desert.

"What now, hyung? Who is that? And why San is not talking?" Asks Wooyoung, panicking. "We have to go fast. Let's save the others first, and we can proceed to the next phase." I say again, holding out the hourglass once again. The members are all confused.

"I swear in the name of my father, I will kill you if you do anything stupid." say Yeosang, suspicious to me. I give them the smile in pain and assure them "No, I'm not going to do anything stupid."

They hold the hourglass, together with me and we disappear again.

...

I open my eyes. We're currently inside another building. I really thought We have a plenty of time, but my guess is wrong. I run towards the hallway as the members follow me until I reach at a door. I push it open and a boy with eye bags is inside. Yunho. The one who died in a worse way in the last turn.

I get inside and pull the boy out. I run again while pulling Yunho as we arrive at the main hall. A boy who should have a fractured leg has his leg healed, Kang Jongho. Jongho looks at me, tears running down his face. I approach him, and he says, "I need explanation, hyung. What did 'he' meant by 'finding a treasure that has never even existed?!" I shoot my sharp gaze to him. "Jongho, there are no such things as 'never existed', here." I reply to him. He knows already about it and it means, they are here too.

I turn and speak to the members. "Wait here for the time being. I will find Mingi. If you meet another 'you', don't you ever dare to follow them. They frown in confuse but nod anyway. I take out the box of matches and give it to Wooyoung before I run again.

...

I try to reach out for Mingi using the radio. thank goodness he answers it. "Hyung, where am I?" he asks when I arrive at his place, an abandoned building. I hold out the hourglass again and I say, "We don't have much time, Mingi." Mingi frowns before he asks again, "But hyung, please explain! I don't understand what is happening!"

"Argh, shut the hell up!" I yell and force his hand to hold the hourglass and we disappear.

...

We arrive safely at the place where the other members are but all left is... ashes?!

I look beside me, Mingi is not here too.? What the hell...? I look forward. A man, who resembles me so much, wearing an all-black attire and a black fedora on top of his head, holding two glasses of wine. There is a thin sword at his waist.

"Park Hongjoong, we meet again..." He says and give me one of the wine glasses. I take it, but I don't drink it. I nearly died in my first turn but the hourglass helped me. I really owed the hourglass.

"Where are they?" I ask. "At a place where a mere human like us can't reach, along with their own doppleganger." He says. I furious. I can feel my anger starts to build inside me. "You... Did you kill them, Park Hongjoong?" I ask him. He sighs. "You don't want to give up, don't you?" He speaks. "They're already died, Park Hongjoong. They were, since your zero turn. It have been only you and me, since the beginning. Face the truth." He says again.

I shake my head. "No, Hongjoong you are the one who wrong. They are not dead. Not until we find the treasure. They themselves said that." I say to my doppleganger in front of me. The 'Hongjoong' in front of me looks at me in disbelief. "You are selfish, you now?" He says again. "The treasure is not there. Why don't you believe me. I am you, while you are me. Why you don't believe me?" 'Hongjoong' says while sighing loudly.

He stares at me. I stare back. "Why did I have you as my doppleganger." He sighs loudly before he takes out his thin sword and stabs my left chest.

Blood coming out from my mouth. I drop the glass and try to get a hold back to the hourglass but he kicks the hourglass far away from me. Shet. I'm going to die. He forces his sword deeper into my chest as he looks at me with blank eyes.

"We should have plenty of time in finding the treasure. But because of your choice, we don't have much time left. Because of you, my comrades die. Because of you, you comrades die. Because of you, the dimensions are split again and because of you and that f*cking hourglass that you find..." He takes out his sword off my chest and I'm bleeding heavier. He holds his sword high, the blood of mine drop on my face.

And then I realize. I am actually the wrong one. I look at him with fear, fear of death and fear of not getting what I want. I am selfish. He pierces his sword deeply inside my head. Because of the sudden attack, I die.

"We're never going to make it."