An Endless Escape

It took a moment—maybe longer—but eventually, Rei clawed his way back to consciousness. His lashes fluttered as he blinked against the dim light; even its soft glow felt like a spotlight searing into his skull.

Shaaa... shaaa...

Rain whispered against the windowpane, a steady rhythm of droplets in conflict with the glass. The sound filled the room like a ghost that wouldn't leave—soft, persistent, hollow. It made the silence feel even heavier.

Slowly, Rei pushed himself upright, every movement languid, as if the weight of the night still clung to his limbs. His gaze drifted to his side.

Kai lay there—still, breath deep and slow, body slack with exhaustion. Alphas were always wrecked after rut, but that kind of night? It left them completely undone.

Rei stared for a moment longer, heart stirring with something too complex to name.

But then his eyes landed on the door.

It was locked—from the inside. The key still dangled from the lock, swaying ever so slightly as if beckoning him.

That was it.

He could run.

Right now.

With Kai deep in post-rut sleep, utterly unaware and defenseless, this was Rei's chance. His pulse quickened. He sat up abruptly, hands fumbling through the scattered clothes on the floor, grabbing what he could, pulling on his shirt the wrong way first before correcting it. His breath came in uneven bursts as he dressed with quiet urgency, the fabric catching on damp skin and trembling fingers.

He moved fast—but carefully. Every step was calculated. He couldn't risk waking Kai. Not now. Not when he was this close.

At last, Rei reached the door. His fingers hovered over the key. They shook, not from fear, but something deeper—something like guilt... or doubt.

This is it.I know the mansion. Every hallway, every blind spot. I can fool the guards. I've got the blueprint carved into my head.

But—

He hesitated.

The cold brass of the key felt heavy in his hand. Slowly, almost unwillingly, he turned his head.

Kai lay there, tangled in sheets, face half-buried in the pillow, chest rising and falling in a rhythm so calm it felt unreal. There were no arms holding Rei back this time. No force. No words. Just silence.

Rei swallowed hard, eyes narrowing.

Don't think.

He turned back to the door. The key twisted in the lock with a soft click. The sound felt louder than it should've, slicing through the stillness like a blade.

He stepped out.

The hallway stretched before him, eerily quiet. Empty. Not a single guard in sight.

It was as if the house itself had decided—this was the day to let him go.

Rei stepped into the hallway, his fingers brushing the walls as he walked—not out of affection, but instinct. It grounded him. Anchored him in this strange, terrifying freedom.

His steps were uneven, frantic, driven by urgency and confusion. He passed the dining room. The kitchen. Shadows stretched across the floor, long and skeletal. The house felt abandoned, yet alive—watching.

Then he stopped.

The library.

That towering, carved door stood in front of him like a monument. And there it was again—the carving. He stared at it, breath shallow, heart rattling in his chest.

Before he could stop himself, his hand reached out. The door creaked open. His feet moved on their own.

He was inside.

His steps slowed as he made his way to the far wall—the one he remembered but didn't understand. The one he'd avoided. The one with the painting covered in black cloth.

He stood there, unmoving, staring at it. Something pulsed in the back of his skull.

His hand rose slowly, then hesitated, fingers clutching the thick fabric a second longer than needed.

Thud.

The heavy cloth hit the floor, its fall slicing the silence.

But what broke Rei completely was what stood behind it.

A painting. Huge. Vivid.

It was him.

Rei.

And Kai—arms wrapped around him from behind. In Rei's own arms, a small child: Min-ho.

A family.

His family.

"W-what is this...?"

His voice trembled, thin and hoarse. His hands were worse—quaking, barely able to form fists.

And then—

A sharp sting tore through the side of his head.

He gasped, staggering back.

Blinding headlights.

Metal screaming.

Blood.

Blood everywhere.

Then darkness.

And just as suddenly—

He was back.

Panting. Trembling. Staring at the painting again.

"W-what was t-that...?"

He didn't wait for an answer. He couldn't afford to. His instincts screamed at him to run.

And he did.

He burst out of the library, bolting down the hall and toward the front entrance. For once, fate seemed to favor him—the guards were gone, likely at the back of the mansion.

Rei didn't stop to question it.

The gate slammed open. Thunder cracked overhead, and within seconds, the rain fell in sheets.

He was soaked immediately, but he kept running—feet slapping the wet pavement, heart thundering louder than the storm. Kai's mansion was the only structure for miles, isolated like a kingdom.

But Rei ran.

Toward the lights.

Toward the city.

Toward anything but here.

Far down the winding road, headlights appeared. A taxi. Rei stumbled forward, waving frantically, like a man half-dead.

The car pulled over. The driver rolled down the window, clearly alarmed at the sight of a rain-drenched teenager alone at night.

"Where to?"

Rei hesitated.

He couldn't go back to his apartment—not to live, not to stay. That would be a mistake.

But—

"My apartment," he muttered. "Just... just drive. I'll guide you."

He needed his phone. His suppressants. His wallet. Everything he needed to disappear.

The taxi sped off through the rain.

When it finally stopped outside his building, Rei jumped out without waiting. He was shaking—inside and out.

"I'll be quick. Please wait," he told the driver.

The man nodded, concern plain on his face. After all, what kind of boy ran through a storm like that—alone, soaked, desperate?

But Rei was already gone, racing up the steps.

He had no time.

And nowhere left to fall.

He burst into his room, hands flying across shelves, drawers—anywhere something useful might be hiding. His movements were erratic, frantic, like prey trying to outrun a predator only he could see.

Yanking open the closet, he dragged out his suitcase and threw it onto the bed. It sprang open with a loud snap. Without hesitation, Rei began stuffing clothes into it—whatever his trembling, rain-soaked hands could grab. The fabric quickly absorbed the dampness from his palms, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered except getting out.

Out of this house.Out of this city.Out of this hell.

His only goal: get as far away as possible from this city overrun by Alphas.

There was only one place he could go.

Hora City—the middle city. A rare haven where Alphas, Betas, and Omegas coexisted. It stood like a breath of peace between two suffocating extremes: to the east, a city dominated by aggressive, territorial Alphas, where Rei was currently standing; to the west, one governed entirely by Omegas. Betas were few and far between these days—many had transitioned under pressure, turned Omega by biology or tragedy.

Rei had once dreamed of living in Hora. Now, it was his only option.

He found his phone, his wallet, his old suppressants—everything he needed.

The suitcase was full. He yanked the zipper shut and grabbed the handle.

Down the stairs he ran, the wheels of the suitcase thudding violently against each step, echoing off the bare walls like a warning drumbeat.

Out the door.

Back into the waiting taxi.

"Please—take me to the nearest subway station. Any station. Just drive!"

His voice cracked, wild with desperation.

The driver blinked, confused, but nodded. He didn't ask questions. Just turned the key and pulled out of the lot.

Rei sank back into the seat, shivering. The cold rain had soaked through to his bones, but it wasn't the water that made him tremble.

He had thought this Alpha city would be like the ones he'd read about in yaoi novels—arrogant, dangerous, lust-driven, sure. But manageable.

Instead, it had suffocated him. Controlled him. Broken him.

Yet the taxi driver... was kind.

Different.

With numb fingers, Rei pulled out his phone and opened the subway app. His hands fumbled as he quickly booked a ticket to Hora City.

He couldn't go back. Not to that mansion. Not to Kai.Not even to his own apartment, ever again.

Korea itself began to feel like a cage. But until he could get his hands on a plane ticket out of the country...

He was still trapped.

Still not free.

Not yet.

To Be Continued... ...