Briar Rose - Taekook

Chapter 50

Pretty short chapter :)

L: Jungkook

"JIMIN!" I break away from the monster's grip, running towards my friend. The monster doesn't try to stop me, too overcome with shock himself. Clearly, he hadn't seen this coming. None of us has.

The arrow dissolves on impact, the shadows sinking into Jimin's body like some sort of parasite. He collapses on the platform just as I reach him, and I kneel down beside him to pull his head onto my lap. The darkness seems to be spreading throughout his body, making his veins slowly turn black. His breath comes out in short puffs, and I can see the sweat shining on his forehead.

I take my friend's hand in mine, small and cold. He slowly opens his silver eyes, and they find my frantic red ones.

"J-Jungkook―" A bubble of blood forms at the corner of Jimin's mouth and bursts.

"Jimin," I find my voice. "Stay with me. You're going to be fine. Just hold on. We just need to get you to Jin. Some witch hazel or yarrow―"

Jimin gives a weak laugh. "You and I both know that there's no extract strong enough to counter this. I'm going to die, Jungkook. I have minutes, if that."

"No..." I can't stop the tears from dropping from my eyes. "Don't say that. You won't leave me so easily. You can't..." I have to stop talking, because my voice is getting hoarse and choked with tears. Jimin's hand squeezes mine lightly.

"Don't cry, Jungkook," Jimin whispers. "Death is good. Death means that I'll get to see Yoongi again. Let me be selfish for this once. Let me choose death rather than living alone for eternity." As I start to shake my head, Jimin's body contracts, and he lets out a small cry of pain as shadows start to trail up his neck. I grip our entwined hands tightly, and hate that I can't do anything to ease his pain.

"Jimin!" A new voice fills the air, and a heartbeat later, Baekhyun is at my side. I risk a glance back, and see that the rest of my friends are still trying to fight through the horde of specters. Baekhyun's sword is thick with shadows, and he has an oozing cut on his cheek. But he doesn't seem to care as he drops to the ground beside me, staring at his friend.

"Y-you stupid mochi!" Baekhyun yells, though I can see that his eyes are flooded with tears. "Don't you dare die! You hear me? You're not going to die!"

Jimin's eyes find Baekhyun's and he manages a small smile. "I... hate you too, Baekie." For a person who is always as prickly as a hedgehog, Baekhyun's eyes are a hopeless mess of emotions as he gazes at his frenemy. Jimin turns his head to look at me again, and I'm surprised at the sudden desperation in his eyes.

"Promise me," His grip on my hand is tight as a powerful fire flares in his eyes. "Promise me you'll free Taehyung. End this pointless war, Jungkook. Defeat the monster. You can do it. I have faith in you."

"I―" I choke back my tears, finally finding my voice. "I will. I'll do it for both of us now. And for Yoongi too. I promise."

"Good," A light smile graces Jimin's lips. "I'm glad to have met you, Jungkook. That day in London... I'm happy we met. You're a valuable friend to me, and I won't forget you. Not even in death."

His eyes stray to Baekhyun, whose eyes are puffy and red. He leans forward, as if to tell him a secret. "I still think you're an alien for liking mint chocolate." The words, even delivered quietly, makes Baekhyun smile.

For a single heartbeat, he looks at me, as if he can see through me. For a moment, I think he's going to live. There's so much life in his eyes―so much Jimin. He has so much left to give. How could he die while leaving that all behind?

"Jungkook..." Jimin's voice is barely audible. "Funny. I'm not afraid of death. I always thought I would be, when the time came. But now that it's here..." His voice trails off, and his breathing starts to become slower and slower. I know what's happening. But I can't seem to accept it.

"Jimin." I shake him gently, not wanting to hurt him. "Jimin!" He doesn't open his eyes, and I'm painfully aware of the shadows crawling up his face. Coating his hair. Engulfing his being.

As the life leaves his body, I see a strange, ghostlike shape hover above him, complete with silver hair. Even though the figure is barely visible in the darkening sky, I can't miss the stone-gray eyes that gaze at Jimin with a mixture of sadness and pride. And love. Lots of love, burning like fire. But when I blink, the figure has disappeared. Was it just a figment of my imagination? It didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was Jimin's form, smaller than ever, in my arms.

Jimin takes one last shuddering breath, before his arms fall limp at his sides. The shadows have devoured everything except his face, wreathing it like a black frame. The hand holding mine goes slack, and Baekhyun draws in a pained cry.

And then I know.

He's gone.

I stare at Jimin for a moment longer, part of my brain refusing to believe that he's dead. If not for the shadows on his skin, he looks no different from when he was alive. So serene, so untroubled. In fact, he looks just about ready to wake up from a long nap, stretch, then ask where Yoongi was. Like usual.

Except that both of them are now dead.

Both my friends are dead.

Alastair's firm hand clamps down on my shoulder, but I barely register it. I feel numb, both inside and out. How had things gone so wrong? And in just a matter of minutes? Yoongi first, and now Jimin. Two people I would never see again.

"Here," Alastair murmurs, picking Jimin's body up. "I'll take him." I would protest if I had the energy, and Alastair seems to notice, because he shakes his head. "You're in no shape to be carrying anything for a while yet. Both mentally and physically. He died for me. Let me do the honors." As I watch Jimin being carried away, there's a sense of abrupt finality to it. A finality I don't want to accept. That my friend is dead.

"We should go too, Jungkook," Baekhyun says after a minute of heavy silence. "We have to―to join the war..." His voice trails off as he takes a moment to wipe the stubborn tears trailing down his cheek.

I nod and slowly stand up, my legs wobbling like jelly. Baekhyun offers me a hand to help me up, but I wave it away. How was I supposed to keep my promise to Jimin if I couldn't even stand by myself? Stay strong, Jungkook. You're in the middle of a war. This isn't the proper time to grieve.

"Jungkook...?" Baekhyun sounds worried. "Why is the ground shaking?" I look blankly around, my vision clearing enough for me to see the angry black cracks now running through the earth beneath my feet. Had they been there before? I couldn't remember.

The cracks at my feet grow larger and larger, and I back away, holding my arms out for balance. Unfortunately, backing away was the worst thing I could have done. It only brings me closer to the cliff edge, and the shaking beneath my feet intensifies.

"Jungkook watch out!" Baekhyun screams, but it's useless. The earth beneath my feet cracks open, and suddenly, there's nothing beneath my feet. Only a dizzyingly high drop. For a second, I feel weightless, suspended in the air. Baekhyun lunges for me, and our fingertips brush together for an infinitely long second. His hand tries to close around mine, but I know even before he tries that it will fail. Our fingertips miss each other by a fraction of a centimeter, and his frantic eyes find mine. His mouth wide open in a yell for help.

Then gravity pulls me down.

L: The monster

The next few things seem to happen in slow motion.

The earth beneath Jungkook's feet giving way. Baekhyun reaching his hand out, only for their fingertips to brush past each other. Jungkook falling down, down, down... his mouth open in a silent scream...

There was absolutely no way that he would survive that fall. A fall I had made specifically for Alastair. Not Jungkook. Never Jungkook.

I don't want him to die. 

Not like this.

I don't even stop to think as I run to the edge of the cliff, pushing a shocked Baekhyun out of the way, and propel myself down after him.