nightfall || minsung

Chapter 23

I caught Minho before he hit the ground. "Minho!"

His eyes were rolled back in his head, face crippled in pain, blood spilling out of his neck. I sucked in a deep gasp of air before cutting off my breathing altogether. I cupped one hand around the wound, looped my arm around his body and took off running. I heard Chan and Felix on my heels. The rest were still in the field, in the forest, fighting the nomads with everything they had.

"Minho," I whispered. "No, God please, not like this, my Minho, I'm so sorry..."

His eyes opened, but they were blank and dilated. He stared at the sky for a second before squeezing his eyes shut again and crying in pain.

I ghosted through the house, into Chan's room and set Minho on the floor. Chan and Felix rushed in after me, gathering unimportant things like gauze and washcloths. Chan whispered for Felix to hold his breath, to block out the smell of Minho's blood.

I knew what I needed to do. I'd been trying not to think about it until I had to. I fought back any reluctance or second thought, bit into the wound on his throat, hoping and praying I could suck the venom out. I had to try. It was the only way I could stop him from turning.

And his blood tasted exactly how I thought it would.

"No, no, it's too late!" Felix yelled over Minho's screaming. He was staring into the corner of the room, processing his vision as he spoke. "It's too late, don't even try!"

I tore myself away from Minho — somehow, even though everything in my body told me to keep drinking. I was breathless, crying, his blood dripping from my chin. I could barely concentrate on Felix's vision — edging into my mind, blurry.

"Can you see?" Chan asked Felix.

"Yes," he said, pulling at his own hair. "The future hasn't changed. This is the turning point. Either he lives and becomes a vampire, or Jisung kills him trying to stop it."

"I can do it," I shouted, "I can get the venom out—"

"You'll kill him!" Felix all but screamed. "Every future is the same, for God's sake, he dies!" Stop being so goddamn useless for two seconds and let us save him — let us save you!

I cried harder, desperate for breath. His blood still burned on my lips.

"Jisung," Felix said, "it doesn't need to be this slow. We can change him faster."

"He should have a ch-choice."

"You really think he could choose — let alone speak — right now? Let us—"

All I could do was growl. Felix growled back, punched the doorframe, but he knew he couldn't argue with me.

I brushed Minho's hair back from his face, my fingers shaking. His screaming quieted, like he was trying to hear me. I only hoped he could find the strength to speak.

"My love," I said. "I need you to make this decision. I can't take it away from you, too. The pain can stop right now, and you... and you'll die. Or the pain will continue for a while, and you will live as a vampire. I know the pain is worse than anything. I remember. I will do anything you need, I will do anything you tell me to..."

I couldn't hold myself together. I cried into my palm, trying to muffle it, but as soon as he couldn't hear my voice, Minho couldn't hold it together, either. He broke into a violent seizure, screamed and twisted against the floor, bashing his skull into the hardwood.

I grabbed his arms, held my hand under his head. Still trying to protect him, though I'd already failed.

"Stop, Minho, stop!" I cried. "Please! Tell me what to do! What should I do?!"