The staticky voice cut out after its final sentence leaving the members panicked. 

Taeyong slumped against a wall, shaking. One of my members is a murderer? It just doesn't seem right. Who could it be? He swiveled his head to his left and to his right looking at his members. Everyone looked just as horrified as him. Whoever was the murderer, if there even was a murderer, had a very good act.

A small ding rang through the room silencing the boys. Jaehyun pointed up above Taeyong and everyone turned to look. In neon lights was the number 1,289. Then after a couple seconds it went up to 2,130. 

"Must be viewer count." Kun concluded matter-o-factly. Yangyang and Hendery almost broke their necks turning to stare at him. 

"How do YOU know that?" Hendery drawled, leaning closer to Yangyang.

Kun obviously knowing what was up began to yell at him. "Come on guys! Do you really think I'm  the murderer?!" 

"Well...." Yangyang whispered.

"Well I think it's a trick!" Kun crossed his arms and stood up. "Listen, I don't think any of us are capable of something like this. It's probably just a trick. I know we're going to die-" Chenle sobbed. "But I think they want us to turn on each other. We won't do that though, will we?"

"That's right!" Yuta grabbed Sicheng's hand. "I trust everyone here!"

Jaemin clapped. "Same with me!"

Once the room was filled with cheering Taeyong grinned. His members were true to each other. They were loyal to NCT and that made him happy. 

The only people not agreeing were Ten and Mark. The two sat in a shadowy corner together muttering something with their heads together. Taeyong noticed, unease bubbling up in his stomach. What could they be doing? 

"I don't trust Jaehyun." Ten hissed through his teeth. "He is way too shady and keeps giving me shifty looks." 

Mark rolled his eyes. "That's just cause you both have mega crushes on Taeyong. I don't think he's guilty. I think it's someone we'd least expect."

"Like?" Ten prodded. 

Mark bit his lip. "Don't take offense." Ten nodded calmly. "I think it could be Xiaojun." 

"Dejun?" Ten gasped taken aback. 

"Well yeah!" Mark tried to explain himself. "He's so quiet and I never know what he's thinking. He could be planning our deaths as we speak!" 

"So could anyone." Ten growled. "It could be me for all you know." 

"It's not you." Mark pointed at him sure of himself. 

Ten crossed his arms blushing. "And why not?"

"You're too clingy and stupid to pull this off." 

Ten cocked his head, offended and sighed heavily. "You're right." He mumbled ashamed.

Taeyong, noticing the two got up from his place under the viewer board (which has gone up to 7,640) and paced over the Ten and Mark. The two boys looked up at him wondering what he had to say.

"Guys, I know we're going to have a hard time today but," Taeyong started to explain his thoughts.

"Look Taeyong. If you're going to give us a speech about sticking together and all that shit, I'm going to go sit somewhere else. I know I'm going to die today. Even if there is no murderer and these Dark Web workers, or whoever they are are tricking us, they'll most likely still be slaughtering us so....." Ten interrupted his voice dripping with sarcasm. 

Taeyong and Mark stared at the sassy member in surprise. Ten may be really quick to the point but he was never so bitter about it. 

"Um, well," Taeyong stuttered not knowing what to say in regards to Ten's sharp response. "I was just going to tell you...we should stick together and, as you put it; shit like that....." Taeyong shifted uncomfortably as Ten's eyes fixed on him. 

"Yeah yeah, save that." Ten snapped turning back to Mark who was still in shock by the argument unfolding in front of him. 

While the other members were assembled in other side of the room, the three boys had were silent. Mark and Taeyong were speechless by Ten's sarcastic remarks and Ten was worried he had went too far and made Taeyong upset. But none of them shared their feelings aloud.

Eventually Taeyong walked back to his spot next to Kun, dragging his heels behind him. Mark and Ten took note of the leader's action, not continuing their conversation about the twisted game and returning to the circle of members. 

"And I think that's why drinking bleach would be a wonderful idea. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk." Renjun finished his lecture as Mark and Ten joined them. 

"I don't even want to know...." Mark muttered as he took a seat next to Johnny and Haechan.

"Well in rebuttal to Renjun's opinion, I believe that drinking glue would kill you fast-"

"Hello players!" The horrible staticky voice of the Game Master sliced through Lucas's voice cutting him off.

Everyone fell quiet, a solemn mood engulfed the room. Had it really been an hour already? Who would the members say goodbye to? 

"Well, you are a chatty bunch!" The voice cackled. "One hour has in fact passed since you twenty one began to play our game. Do you know what that means?" 

No one answered. 

"Hmm, no one guess? Well it means that it is time for our first contestant to be voted off. Let's see, we have about 120,000 people watching at that moment. The live poll can be seen on the screen above the blonde."

Taeyong scrambled to turn around as eyes flickered above him. The viewer board, as Kun has concluded had a different screen on it. Three colored bars, not labeled were growing and shrinking on the screen. Three unknown members we're being debated over to be voted off. When the poll had finished the game master began to speak.

"In third, with about 25% of the votes; Yangyang will not be voted off." 

The young member let out a sigh of relief yet began to cry. He had basically danced with death.

"In second, with also about 25% of the votes; Mark will not be voted off."

Mark clenched his fist, nails digging into his palm, tears stinging at his eyes. One of his members would be gone in a few seconds. He couldn't be happy about surviving.

"And this hour, with 50% of the votes, the member voted off is..."

The members huddled closer together, some seething in anger while others cried quietly. 

"Qian Kun." 

The name echoed through the room, watery eyes turning to the Chinese member. Kun's face fell as he heard his name. The door at the side of the room kicked open, revealing a couple of dark web workers with guns. They trotted over to Kun and each grabbed under one of his arms. Kun, still in shock, didn't fight or even show any sign of despair. He was emotionless. 

The members didn't try to stop the workers either. They couldn't. No one could do anything. Everyone was too shocked that Kun would actually be dead in a few short minutes. 

They dragged Kun out of the room, slamming and bolting the heavy metal door shut. The screen above Taeyong flickered to another setting. A large city rooftop. 

Three figures materialized onscreen. Kun and the two workers. The members gasped and yelled in anger and misery. The two workers pushed Kun to the edge of the building with the hilts of their guns until he was on the very edge. 

One last prod and Kun fell. 

The members screamed and cried and covered their eyes. Taeyong's eyes were glued to the television. The camera angle changed to ground level. Nothing for five seconds.

And then bam! Kun's body slammed into the ground, life smashed from him from the impact, blood covering him, and his eyes glazing over immediately. The sound of his bones snapping filled the room. Taeyong looked away as he couldn't take it. 

Kun was dead.