A cloud of dust rose in the air behind the driving vehicle- with each roll of the wheels causing more dust to rise and lay along the surface of the earth like an early morning dew. The curtain of smoke was parted by the manicured hands of hopelessness before it stretched out it's slim leg and began to saunter over to the frozen Kitty gangster standing in front of the store- staring unblinkingly at the disappearing car.
What now, The hopelessness purred through a devious smirk, stepping behind the brown haired kitten and trailing the tip of it's nail along his shoulder, You're everything you have left now, it leaned forward and pressed it's charcoal lips against the shell of Jimin's ear, allowing it's voice to slither into his ear.
Jimin's lashes brushed against his cheeks as his eyes fluttered shut, he tilted his head back and inhaled, filling his lungs with the leftover dust of the driving car. He ignored feeling of fear as it scampered out of the shadows of the forest, and clung to his arm as if Jimin could protect it from whatever was chasing it.
We should run, Fear stuttered, digging it's nails into Jimin's arm and pressing itself into his side. It swung it's head in all directions to make sure nothing would jump out of nowhere and attack them. Jimin gulped and ignored the tight grip on his arm, he squeezed his eyes shut tighter and without opening them, bent down to unclip the weapon case hanging off of his fingers.
Hopelessness watched the brown haired assassin with a growing smirk before crouching down next to him. It's eyes burned into the side of his face and hand reached out to brush away a strand of Jimin's hair, Running is pointless, Hopelessness breathed out against Jimin's exposed temple before exhaling a breathy laugh. It glancing down at one of the strapped guns inside the, now, open weapon case and reached forward to tap her fingernail against it, hiding is pointless.
Fear trembled and wrapped it's bony arms around Jimin from behind, it tightened it's grip until Jimin lost his breath and peeled his eyes open to stare down at the guns, he will find us, Fear hissed into the back of Jimin's neck, glueing itself onto Jimin until their skin began to melt and merge into one.
Honeycomb eyes blinked down at the matte gun and chubby fingers reached out to unclip it from it's place, "He...won't." Jimin collected the shattered letters in the back of his throat and squished them into a trembling sentence.
The tips of his fingers glided against the gun, only for hopelessness to place it's hand over Jimin's and force his fingers around it, He will, it snickered at the empty stare of the kitten. It watched with bloodthirsty glee as Jimin ever so slowly pulled the gun out of the case and cocked it with his thumb.
he'll always find you
he'll always look for you
never safe
never rest
never happy
always fear
always run
always lonely
Do you want that? Fear and helplessness leaned forward and spat into each of Jimin's ears- injecting their poison and lies into his mind, making Jimin lift the gun up to his jaw and dig the tip of it into his skin.
"No." Jimin breathed out- limp tongue barely gliding along the edge of his teeth. The cold steel of the gun burned against his skin and set fire to the blood rushing through his head. Jimin could feel his heart thrumming against his ribs as if it was playing with the strings of a banjo, and the mumbled whispers of Fear and hopelessness cutting each word they uttered into his skin.
This is the only way
He will find us
He'll kill you
He'll kill all of them
It will be your fault
Make him regret it
Make it less painful
Save yourself
Crystalline tears rushed to gently caress the whites of Jimin's eyes and swim around the honey of his eyes. His trembling fingers gripped onto the gun and finger slid towards the trigger. The weight of the weapon felt heavy in his palm, and the cold steel slowly began to inhale the heat of Jimin's skin and warm up the tip.
Jimin didn't want to run for the rest of his life and live in fear and paranoia of Yoongi finding him. He knew that with the tracker inside of his stomach, he would always have to be on the move because Yoongi and his men would always know where he was, and would hunt him like a little lamb. Jimin would be all alone since no sane person would volunteer to join him on constantly moving from city to city, from country to country, and never staying in one place or getting attached to anyone.
That's why Taehyung left, anger pointed out, lazily lounging off on the side- still keeping it's gaze locked onto Jimin. A sleazy grin crawled onto it's lips as it waved it's arm at Jimin and released a snort, kill yourself, make them regret everything they did to you. Taehyung would feel guilty for leaving, Yoongi would feel bad about everything he has done.
A tear squeezed out of the corner of Jimin's eye and rolled down his cheek, it held onto the edge of his jaw before releasing its hold and dripping onto the matte gun pressed against Jimin's neck. Jimin's throat moved as he swallowed his nonexistent saliva before dragging his tongue along his cracked lip, "I can't." He murmured softly, staring blankly at the emerald trees swaying along the melody of the wind, yet despite his words, the gun remained pressed against the underside of his chin and his finger hovered above the trigger.
A scoff echoed through the clearing before pride walked closer to Jimin, and shooed away fear and helplessness with a wave of it's hand. The two emotions stumbled away with glares and grumbles under their breath, yet still complied to the order of the more superior emotion. Pride crouched down next to Jimin and stared at the forest ahead of them, you're so much better than running away from some asshole and living in paranoia. You're Park Jimin, so either kill yourself now and save yourself some dignity, or face Yoongi and whatever he may bring. It twisted its head around and tilted it to the side, sliding its sharp eyes along Jimin's sour features, choose now.
Oxygen flooded through Jimin's nostrils and filled his lungs- washing away the poison tainting his mind and squeezing his heart, "I want to live." Jimin breathed out, waving away the negative emotions with his words.
The pride, fear and helplessness were replaced by determination and excitement. Jimin swung his head around and eyed the surrounding are, and just as he lowered the gun until his wrist touched his knee, a loud rumble flooded into the surrounding area and knocked on Jimin's eardrums.
Jimin immediately reached out to slam the weapons case shut before shooting up to his feet and whirling around to face the direction of the screeching car. Brown strands of hair swayed along Jimin's forehead and twisted in front of his eyes as he watched the black Volvo with tinted windows speed towards him.
The car came closer and closer with each roll of its wheels, leaving behind a cloud of dust in its wake. Jimin exhaled a steady breath and allowed his lips to curl into a confident smirk as he tightened his hold on the weapons case and raised the other hand to point his gun at the driver's side of the car.
Jimin didn't know if it was Yoongi, or not, but what he knew was that he won't take any chances. He needed that car to get to a safe house, grab a fake passport and get out of this country. Maybe France will be his first destination and then Jimin can proceed to bounce around Europe before travelling somewhere south.
Just as the car was about to hit Jimin, it screeched to a halt the last second- barely brushing against Jimin's joggers, and causing pebbles to fly through the air and bounce off of the kitten. Jimin's brow rose and smirk didn't disappear, he watched the car with squinted eyes as it purred back at him with a smirk of its own.
The tinted windows prevented him from catching a glimpse of the driver until the door finally cracked open and a heavy boot slammed into the ground. Just as Jimin's lips parted and the threats on his tongue were about to scramble forward, the driver rose out of the car and stared back at Jimin with wide bambi eyes.
Jimin's lips smacked shut and gun lowered at the sight of Jungkook cautiously eying him- eyes flicking from the gun grasped between Jimin's hands and to the case hanging in his other hand.
"Hey." Like a needle, Jimin's voice stabbed into the balloon filled with silence, popping it and allowing both boys to slump in relief at the sight of each other, "Ill get in the car." Jimin awkwardly mumbled, dropping his hand to his side and jutting his chin in the direction of the passenger seat.
Jungkook drummed his fingers against the door and bobbed his head up and down- eyes still hesitant as they occasionally glanced down at the gun, "R..right." Jungkook stuttered, swallowing down a glob of saliva.
"Right.." Jimin dragged out, ignoring the look on Jungkook's face as he walked around the car and opened the door to the passenger side. He climbed into the black Volvo and slammed the door shut behind himself before leaning into the backseat to place the weapons case down on the seat.
Jungkook climbed into the car after Jimin, accidentally allowing the puppy of tension to scamper into the car with him before he could shut the door in its face. He pressed his foot down on the pedal and twisted the wheel around- driving into the forest and away from the gas-station until the curtain of trees fell in front of the building and shielded it from their eyes.
A relieved exhale of breath fanned against the window and left behind a touch of fog, Jimin watched the trees blur into one before he turned away from the view outside to analyse the car they were driving in, "You couldn't have gotten a better car with all the money Jin-hyung sends you? I'm pretty sure you could afford a lambo." The kitten pushed out a weak chuckle, tilting his head to the side to peer up at Jungkook.
The ex-police officer was chewing on his lip and staring at the road ahead with a blank haze over his eyes as if he was too far in his thoughts to answer Jimin properly. Yet despite the mess that was Jungkook's mind, he still managed to mindlessly hum back at Jimin and take a random left down the road.
Honeycomb eyes analysed the thoughtful expression Jungkook wore before Jimin turned away and scowled at the road. He shifted in the seat awkwardly, trailing his finger along the gun resting against his thigh.
Jimin couldn't believe that the thoughts of suicide had seized him so roughly and suddenly to the point where he had actually pressed a loaded gun to his throat and was seconds away from firing a bullet into his skull. It hasn't been the first time Jimin has thought of suicide- sometimes his missions could get out hand and Jimin was pushed to the point where he thought that it would be better if he killed himself before he could get captured and tortured just liked Taehyung had been.
"Would you have killed yourself?"
Jimin's head swung around at the words that tumbled out of Jungkook's mouth out of nowhere. The younger didn't look at him and merely kept staring at the road ahead with blank eyes, the only indication of what he was feeling was the tight grip he had on the steering wheel and his flexed jaw.
Jimin's brow climbed up his forehead and disappeared under his fringe, he sunk further into his seat and looked away with a lighthearted eye-roll, "Just a moment of weakness." Jimin mumbled in return, visibly cringing as the memories nipped at his ribs and fluttered their wings in his face.
Jungkook's blinks brushed away the cloud of haze that fell over his bambi eyes, he nodded slowly at Jimin and nipped at the inside of his cheek, "How would you die then?" He asked instead, glancing at Jimin out of the corner of his eye.
Jimin's eyes landed on the gun and lips pursued at the sight, "Don't know." The kitten shrugged, forcing his eyes away from the gun to look at the deserted road ahead.
Jimin hadn't thought of the way he died- never really allowing his mind to ponder over such things as death. He almost seemed to have forgotten about the existence of inevitable death, and now that he thinks more about it, Jimin realised the unlikeliness that he'll survive to the point in his life where he'll be old and wrinkly. Perhaps he'll die in a car crash, perhaps it will be from a cop's gun or by the hand of a loved one of someone he had killed in the past. The possibilities were endless, yet only now Jimin realised how fragile his existence was and how easily his life could be swept under the rug with just one bullet.
"How about you?" Jimin cleared his throat with a question of his own. Curiosity leaned forward from its seat in the back and popped its chin on Jimin's chair, it blinked between the boys- raising a brow as the thoughts swam through the air between them.
Jungkook plucked the question and popped it in his mouth, he chewed it for a few minutes before finally spitting out the answer, "I don't know.." he trailed off with a small sigh, only for him to perk up and whip his head around to face Jimin, "But I know that I want to see Hyung before I die."
Jimin almost flinched at the sight of hope blooming along Jungkook's features and lighting up his face with life. He still had to tell the younger that he had no idea where Jin was or how to get to him, but at least he knew that Seokjin was alive. Maybe the best choice for Jimin was to check if Seokjin was in his lodge, that's the most likely place he'd be to which Jimin actually knew the location of.
"Ye..yes, of course, me too." Jimin managed to push out, snatching a fake smile stored in the back of his mind and slapping it onto his lips. The smile didn't falter as Jimin shifted in the seat and draped his arm over the window, "I need you to drive somewhere, Jin could be there." Jimin told Jungkook, receiving a nod and a barely suppressed smile in return.
If Jin won't be in his lodge, then Jimin will send Jungkook after Hoseok and Taehyung. Hopefully the pair will take him with them and keep him safe until Jin shows up.
≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪
A variations of different scents mingled together and shared their life stories with each other- each one explaining to the other the reason of their existence. One sweet scent rose from the mangos and papayas getting sold on the corner of the market, while another mixture of scents swayed along the air from the different bowls of spices displayed on the other side of the market.
Yet despite all the different sounds and scents, Hoseok could only focus on the freshly brewed tea steaming and giggling to itself as it was carried out of the store inside a cup. His eyes followed the steam as it pranced through the air until it reached the dumpling store next to the tea shop.
"Come on," Hoseok tightened his grip on Taehyung's waist and pulled his swaying body into his side. Hoseok took a step forward, trying to walk through the crowd of people that brushed and bumped into them without an apology or glance in their direction.
Hoseok tried to squeeze past a woman that was eyeing the rice that was getting sold to their right, only for a man to come barrelling through the crowd. Their shoulders collided and Hoseok stumbled back a step, accidentally dragging Taehyung with him and causing the pup's trembling legs to give out.
Taehyung cried out under his breath and shot out his hands to grab onto Hoseok before he could fall in the middle of the crowd and get trampled. Another body pushed against him from behind and pushed him further into Hoseok, followed by an elbow hitting him in the ribs. Taehyung hissed and twisted his head around to send a weak glare at the woman that brushed past him without a flicker in her stiff features.
"Fuck this." Hoseok grumbled, extending his hand to push past a man that wasn't budging or looking at them. Hoseok pressed his hand against the man's back and shoved him harshly- causing the man to stumble and cry out in outrage at Hoseok, only for the ex-prisoner to ignore him and continue to shove past the people blocking them from entering the alleyway.
The pair left behind a trail of angry people and narrowed gazes, yet the path they created as they brushed through the crowd towards the alleyway, was soon flooded and filled back with a new wave of people. And by the time Hoseok and Taehyung stumbled into the alleyway, the angry gazes following them were swept away by the crowd.
Hoseok's fingers clenched around Taehyung's hip and eyes dragged along the brick walls. He ignored the nasty stench of a nearby trashcan of the dumpling shop and a greying cat feasting on some leftover food placed on a paper plate for it to eat. Instead, Hoseok tried to catch a glimpse of the red symbol that Jimin had described.
"Hobi.." Taehyung tugged on Hoseok's shirt, blinking sluggishly at the wall ahead of them before raising his hand and pointing at it weakly. Hoseok followed Taehyung's gaze and noticed something red peeking out of the shadows of where the two brick walls joined.
"Good job, Tae." Hoseok mumbled in return, tugging him over to the design. The soles of Taehyung's feet scraped against the pavement and kicked away small pebbles, he tried to lift his half-dead leg, only for it to descend on a hole. Taehyung stumbled forward and would've slammed into the ground face first, if it wasn't for Hoseok catching him with a sharp inhale of breath.
"He doesn't look too good."
The words bounced between the brick walls surrounding the pair until they descended down on them and surrounded the pair like a pack of starved wolves. Hoseok's head swung around before he straightened out and shielded Taehyung from the sight of the female.
The girl's features were soft and painted with a paintbrush dipped in concern. Half of her hair was dipped in a bright pastel pink, while the other was a rich charcoal black. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she leaned against the metal emergency stairs of the apartment next to the symbol- allowing Hoseok to catch a glimpse of the seam of muscle hiding underneath her cropped hoodie. She eyed the pair with squinted eyes as if she was assessing them before glancing over her shoulder at the red symbol painted on the brick wall.
"So..." She spoke, twisting back around to face Hoseok- her face lighting up with realisation, "Why are you here? For the dumplings?" She tilted her head to the side and laughed lightheartedly, standing up on the tips of her shoes to try and peer around Hoseok to catch a glimpse of Taehyung.
Hoseok straightened out and reached out a hand behind himself to nudge Taehyung further behind his back. He could feel Taehyung melting against him and gripping onto his shirt with weak fists, "The symbol." Hoseok nodded at the symbol behind the girl, causing her posture to ease and her smile to become more gentle.
"And what about the symbol?" The girl prodded even further, pushing off of the metal staircase she was leaning on. She hooked her fingers through the railing and swung forward before falling back onto her feet.
Hoseok's gaze narrowed and analysed her carefully, he brushed away the suspicion tapping against his temple and spared a brief glance at the red symbol, "We're with Kim Seokjin." Hoseok called out confidently.
His words webbed and twisted the air around them until it was filled with tension. The small smile had slipped off of the girl's face and crashed to the ground, followed by her releasing her grip on the stairs to stand up straighter and turn to fully face Hoseok. She stared back at him with clearer eyes and more awareness in her gaze as if the words had been what she needed for Hoseok to capture her full attention.
Hoseok exhaled slowly and swallowed down a ball of saliva, he shifted on his feet and tried to slice apart the silence with the knife that was his voice, "What now?"
"You know..." A completely different voice called out from above Hoseok, causing him to still and snap his head up. The sun peered over the top of the building, causing Hoseok to squint his eyes and shield them with his palm until he could see the tall man standing on the metal emergency stairs of the apartment building.
The man's raven hair swayed against his forehead and plump lips lifted in the corners, he leaned against the metal railing and tilted his head to the side- glancing between Hoseok and, the still hidden, Taehyung with curiosity. The man drummed his fingers against the metal railing and peering into Hoseok's eyes as he spoke through a barely tamed smile, "I don't remember you being with me."
And that's when Hoseok realised, he was gazing up at Kim Seokjin.