Omelas ~ BTS AU [✓]

|| Chapter 6 ||

A few metres.

That was the distance between the boys and the door.

Some felt differently than others, but collectively they all had the same overriding emotion: fear.

Namjoon slipped the key into the icy door lock, the sound of the other miscellaneous metal pieces crashing together, serving as the only noise at the stillness of midnight. The lock clicked open, and after a quick glance around the surrounding area, the 6 entered.

Despite visiting the room numerous times over the years, it still made them feel uneasy to be in there at that time. Perhaps due to the jagged shadows cast upon the ground and tainting the furniture. Perhaps due to the blinking red light of the intruder alarm, threatening them with each step. Perhaps it was the person who lay in the next room.

Brushing it off, they walked with as much confidence as they could to the door at the back. Another small click and it was unlocked as easily as the previous one. But even though it was open, they all hesitated.

"I guess I'll lead the way..." Namjoon muttered, sounding hesitant for the first time that night. Jin and Hoseok followed, and then Taehyung and Yoongi. Jimin took a deep breath to calm his nerves, and then followed them.

A few metres.

That was the distance between the boys and...the boy.

In the corner of the small space was a mini fireplace, crackling with the embers of a recently killed fire, which cast a red glow over the room.

With a slight gulp, the purple haired boy stepped forward, and began trying each key in turn until he found one that unlocked the cell. In a strange way, he almost didn't want it to open.

The echo of the unlocked gate almost made his heart sink.

Glancing back at the group members, he wondered for the first time how they would actually pull this off. Of course, they acted in the spur of the moment. It's not like they had actually planned what would happen when and if they got here. Maybe they should've.

With a weak grasp, the leader pulled the door open, and was met with silence. The flickering flames just about hinted at a figure sitting on the ground, still.

A million things ran through all of their minds. None of them quite knew what to do. It was Taehyung who took the first dangerous steps towards the shadowy figure.

"H-hello?" He asked, voice bouncing off the walls. The figure moved slightly, seemingly listening to the deep voice of the brunette boy.

"Do you...know how to speak?"

There was no reply.

With methodical steps, Taehyung advanced into the darkness and crouched down near the figure. He was completely vulnerable.

"We...we came here to help you. We want to take you away from here." He explained in a soft tone. Seeing no reaction to his words, the brunette held out a hand towards the person.

"If you come with me...I can save you."

All the boys were taken aback by this. Taehyung had a slightly more simple personality than most of the group - he expressed his emotions more easily, liked to joke around and it was easy to tell what he was thinking. In contrast, he sometimes came out with some things that couldn't be taken lightly, and it seemed that this was one of them.

With his eyes closed tightly out of fear, Taehyung waited for some sort of response. After a few silent seconds, a cold pressure wrapped itself around his hand. For the brunette, this response was plenty enough.

Cautiously, he climbed to his knees, then to his feet, taking slow steps backwards, the figure following his every step, until at last the flicker of a new flame lit up the cell with an orangy glow.

And at last they could see his face.

The boy was young, maybe a year or a few younger than the rest of them. Messy, brunette locks were sprawled across his forehead and his expression was one of bewilderment mixed with caution. His lips, though dry, looked full, and there was evidence of humanity in those chocolatey eyes of his.

Taehyung's expression softened to one of slight relief. It was obvious that the boy wasn't physically harmed to a great extent, although it was clear that he hadn't been eating as much as he should, and his lack of speech suggested little exposure to communication.

"Do you...have a name?" Taehyung asked, both hands still being clutched by the younger's. The boy gave a light squeeze with his fingers, before parting his lips slightly, eyes widening as they met with the older's.

"My name...is Jungkook."