"Save the grief." Ten murmured as the remaining seventeen boys moped in a circle. Ten hung his head low. "DJ wouldn't want us to spend our remaining time like this."

"Like what Ten?" Johnny asked, hopeless. "I know I'm supposed to be the strong one, me and Taeyong at least but even I'm loosing faith. There's no escape from this. I'd honestly like to be taken next and done away with quickly like Xiaojun was."

Yangyang's eyes narrowed as he began to get up. "It may have been quick but that doesn't mean he didn't go through unimaginable pain you-"

"Stop it!" Sicheng got a grip on Wayv's maknae and forced him back down. "Stop fighting! We've said it before and I'll say it again, fighting will get us no where."

"It may get rid of the murderer." Jaehyun cocked his eyebrow and cracked his knuckles. 

Heads turned to stare at the quieter boy, suspiciousness lingering in the room. Renjun tensed, Jaehyun starting to seem quite off. He was acting sus, you could say. 

"Well I mean Jaehyun that's a novel idea?" Taeyong scooted over to his other crush. But what he said sounded more like a question than a statement. He put a hand on his head and sighed, gazing into the younger's dreamy eyes. He snapped out of it and shook his head. 

"Let's not do that." Chenle moaned. "I don't want anyone to turn on each other, we're wary enough as it is." 

Haechan nodded, counting something on his fingers. 

"Um guys?" Yuta broke into the conversation, pointing above Ten. "Who are they?"

On the screen that usually only showed their death programs was now a screen full of strange faces. Some looked crazed, some looked dead inside, emotionless almost, and some were masked. The strange people moved, they didn't sit still and they talked too. Almost like the world's freakiest zoom call.

"Alright then NCT. For another game we at the game studio have decided to host a meet and greet with the lovely viewers. From predictions about the game to requests about how they would like the hour to play out, talk about anything! Fun isn't it?" 

"Fuck y'all." Doyoung hummed and flipped off the camera. A few of the viewers flipped him off in response whereas other clapped, displaying their enjoyment.

"Okay now. First viewer is —————! Who do you want to talk with?" 

Taeyong felt a bead of sweat run down the side of his face. A lady in a fox like mask clapped her skeletal hands in delight, her wispy hair bouncing up and down as she jumped. 

"I would like to speak with Park Jisung." Her voice was like nails on a chalkboard, high pitched and squeaky. Taeyong put a protective arm around the maknae, Jisung glancing at him anxiously. Together the two stood side by side.

Jisung gulped and spoke. "What do you want to say to me?" He sounded as if he was trying to sound brave. Taeyong was proud of the young man Jisung has become. 

The lady giggled sending shivers down Taeyong's spine. Obviously, there was no way this creepy old lady had anything good to say. The possibilities disgusted Taeyong.  "I think you should get things moving a bit more." She began. "Betrayal is nice. Kill off someone. You're very attractive-"

"STOP IT RIGHT THERE!" Johnny waved his arms. Renjun, Doyoung, and the entire mom line jumped up, panicked. 

"You're sick! Disgusting!" Ten spat as he put his arms protectively around Jisung.

Renjun gagged. "He's barely an adult and you're like fucking 65!" 

The mom line made their wall around the adorable young boy, blocking him from the sight of the crazed viewers. Taeyong chewed his lip, biting back the coldest words he could have ever spoken. 

"Okay! Okay!" The voice laughed, clearly entertained by the rough interaction between the members and the viewers. "Let's move right along then." 

As the hour passed by, many of the members were involved in a chat with the creepy twisted people behind their screens, watching the red room with glee. It sickened Taeyong. 

Renjun screamed in a fit of rage, Jeno wouldn't speak no matter how much the viewers prodded, Yuta mouthed off until the voice had finally silenced him and he sat back down sulkily, Johnny tried to reason with them. Everyone did something different but still the reactions were the same. No one was happy. Well, why would they be anyways? They would be killed. 

Taeyong's mind was elsewhere during the meet and greet. He was never called (much to his relief) so therefore he didn't have to pay attention. He probably should have, he's the leader after all. The entire time his mind was full of Ten and Jaehyun. 

He shouldn't be thinking about relationships; he really shouldn't. There were more important, key things to focus on. That was the survival of NCT but in reality, they would all be dead by the end of the day. Unless, Ten or Jaehyun were the murderer.

Taeyong shook his head. That's so silly. He thought. Ten and Jaehyun would never be capable of doing something so twisted and awful. But another voice popped into Taeyong's head. But if not them, then who? Someone is a liar, a backstabbing son of a bitch who aims for you all to die painfully. What's the motive? What pushed them over the edge? Who's the murderer? 

Shut up! Taeyong found he was arguing with himself. He covered his ears with his hands, trying to block out the incessant noise of the voices in his head going at each other. 

Ten seemed suspicious. Jaehyun seemed suspicious. Everyone seemed suspicious. It could easily be any one of them. And that shattered Taeyong's heart.

The blonde boy snapped back to reality as the horrid sound of the screeching speaker and the familiar voice started up again. 

"Well wasn't that just exciting? Almost everyone got to chat with our beloved viewers that make the game what it is." The NCT members gazed at the TV screen, uncertainty about the next death worrying them so. 

"Cut the chase." Jaemin snapped from somewhere in the dark room. "We know what's up at this point."

"This hour though," the voice continued on, making no notice of Jaemin's interruption. "Our friend who didn't quite make the cut is unfortunately Johnny Seo." 

Johnny blew out a long breath, causing multiple members to begin to panic and yell. Mark and Haechan bolted up and shouted at the cameras.

"Guys!" Johnny called for them, trying to calm them down. The doors burst open as the two masked men headed for the tall NCT member. 

"Guys! Let them take me!" Johnny yelled assertively, pushing Mark and Haechan away so they wouldn't get lashed. The hooded guards grabbed Johnny and pulled him away as the other members cried. 

"He's gone!" Mark sobbed, clawing at the door. "He was like my brother!" 

Ten felt tears prickle at his eyes. "Not Johnny......why not me instead....." 

Cries and sobs engulfed the room as the members waited until Johnny met met his untimely and unavoidable death. Everyone felt a hole in heart, boring into their soul and making them feel empty inside. 

The horrifying click of the TV monitor powering on made the members shiver but turn up their heads to watch the death of their most beloved member. Taeyong reached out to wipe a tear from Ten's cheek but the Thai boy slapped his hand away resulting in more tears spilling down his face. 

Johnny was hooked up with these wires, the masked men holding two plugs. "No." Hendery breathed. They all knew what this meant. This would be painful. 

"NO!" Mark screeched. "DON'T-YOU CAN'T-" Doyoung threw himself at the younger and covered Mark's eyes as the masked men plugged in the chords. 

Taeyong felt his stomach drop as Johnny violently shook as electricity pulsed through his body and then went completely still.