Time: 13:18
POV: Jin - BTS
Soobin exits first, leading the way.
Leading the way to the big cell.
For our rescue mission.
And to kill that monster.
...
"Follow me. Stay close, also, we'll have to take a different route back this time, we can't be spotted before we get to them." Soobin says, ushering us out of the room, checking our surroundings.
He takes us into spaces between buildings, shifting our way through the passages, trying to be as silent yet as quick as possible. Everyone's highly alert, and even the sound of a pebble rolling across the floor is enough to make all our hearts skip a beat.
It only takes a couple of minutes until Soobin finally stops, halting us behind a building.
He puts his hands to his lips, signalling us to be quiet, and looks over to a flight of stairs leading up the building next to us.
That should be the cell room.
Wonwoo takes both of his pistols out, and I decide to do the same, gripping my pistol in my hand firmly.
"That's the room, right?" Wonwoo whispers to Soobin.
Soobin nods his head.
"I'll go first, who wants to go behind me?" Wonwoo asks.
"I'll be." I say.
He nods his head at me.
"Seokjin, I'll be right behind you." Ryujin says, patting me on the shoulder.
"Let's go, then. Be careful." Bang Chan says, waving at us to continue.
I follow Wonwoo as he dashes towards the stairs, escalating up each step so quietly that I can't even hear him.
We reach the door, and Wonwoo takes a big breath in, readying himself.
"Get ready." He says, pointing up his weapons.
We're going in. Don't mess up. Just this once.
He flips the light switch and kicks down the door, sending it flying inwards. With no more time to waste, he enters inside, me just behind him.
"WHAT THE FU-"
"How?"
"Oh, holy sh-"
Multiple voices, screams and shouts of panic erupt from the inside, soon drowned out from Wonwoo, as he fires a cascade of bullets towards the gang members, them dropping down one after another.
Soobin slinks off to the side, making sure not to get hit in the crossfire.
Soon enough, returning bullets are shot at us, some missing me by mere inches.
But then, I hear a pained yelp from Wonwoo, and his legs give way in pain. He drops one of his guns, and it skids away across the floor, as he falls to the ground.
"Wonwoo!" Bang Chan shouts, pulling him backwards, trying to get him outside the room, out of harms way.
"I'm taking him outside!" He shouts, grunting as he drags Wonwoo with all his might, struggling because of Wonwoo's tall build.
I crouch in front of Wonwoo, providing a little bit of cover. I spot three more gang members, but I can't find the leader. He could be anywhere in the room.
One of them hurls a crowbar in my direction, but misses, and it bounces off the wall, just next to me.
Bangchan finally manages to make it to the door and slams it shut, protecting himself and Wonwoo, but also making the room a lot darker.
I struggle to see down my gun sight, but I fire shots at the last two silhouettes, seeing them both separately drop down, dead.
"Nearly there, we can't give up now. It's only the man now." Ryujin pants, finally shifting her gun off of safety and holding it up, looking around the room for the leader.
I squint my eyes, trying to spot the leader in the low lighting, shifting them left and right around the room.
"Where is-"
BANG
A single gunshot goes off.
But it isn't from me, Ryujin or Nayeon. It's too far forward.
"I'm right here, you pricks." A familiar voice says.
I see a big silhouette stand up from where the hostages should be, as the leader reveals himself.
Without wasting a good opportunity, I instantly raise my gun up, pointing it towards him.
I begin to squeeze my hand on the trigger.
"SEOKJIN, WAIT-"
Ryujin lunges towards me, and just manages to swipe the gun out of my hand before I can shoot.
"Ryujin, what are you doing?" I ask, confused.
"Seokjin-" Ryujin starts, but she's interrupted by the man.
"The thing she's doing, Seokjin, is saving you from doing something you'd regret." He says, chuckling at the last bit.
I'm taken aback.
"I'd never, ever regret it. Not even one bit. Now Ryujin, give me the gun back or freaking shoot him yourself-"
"NO- SEOKJIN! CAN'T YOU SEE?" Ryujin shouts.
"WHAT AM I MEANT TO SEE? JUST FREAKING SHOOT HIM ALREADY, THATS WHAT WE CAME TO DO!" I retort.
BANG
The man fires a shot, upwards. More like a warning shot.
"I'll let you see for yourself, Seokjin. But first, put down the gun."
...
Should I?
I look behind me, everyone Nayeon and Ryujin both have their guns down, and their hands are completely empty.
...
"Seokjin... please..."
I hear a voice, right where the man stands. But it isn't the man's voice.
It's Yeji's.
That's when I realise.
I hastily put down the gun, raising my arms and stepping away.
"The guns are down now, please. Please don't shoot her." Ryujin says.
"Don't shoot, alright? My gun is down. Leave her alone." I say, backing away.
The man steps forward, into the light. He has Yeji clutched in a neck-choke, a knife positioned near her neck.
"Let her go now..." Nayeon says, her voice pleading.
The leader scoffs.
"It looks so pitiful, doesn't it? A huge group like you, all armed and ready, enough to have me at gunpoint, still not shooting? All because of a singular person?"
Ryujin let's out a breath of anger.
"She's not just any person, you goddam prick..." she huffs.
Yeji has tears rolling down her eyes. She doesn't want to die, I can see her fear.
The man edges forwards, dragging Yeji with him, and picks up a gun. The same one that Wonwoo dropped when he got shot.
He holds it in his hand, shaking to check whether it has ammo or not.
He points it at Yeji's head.
Ryujin screams in panic.
"NO- NO, NO, NO! DON'T, JUST WAIT! NOT HER, NOT HER- PLEASE!!!" she shouts, practically going down on her knees.
The man looks at her with disgust.
"I hate it when people do that... It's pathetic. You, stand up, or I'll shoot her." He says, his face annoyed.
Ryujin scrambles to her feet, but her legs still shake in fear. I edge forward, showing that my hands are still empty.
"Don't do it. Don't bring her into this. Let her go. Don't shoot her." I say.
The man looks at me, and raises an eyebrow. Then, he lets out a puff of exasperation, laughing to himself.
"Don't shoot her?" He says, his voice half laughing, half foreboding.
After a pause, he finishes his sentence.
..."I mean... as you wish."
And he points it straight at me.
"SEOKJIN-"
In a split second, Jisung runs out, and lunges at the man, tackling him to the ground.
BANG
The gun fires.
"GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!"
Someone behind me pushes me to the ground, just as the bullet comes whistling past, hitting somewhere beside me with a metal clunk. A burning hot sensation passes over me, emitting sparks of light at the same time. An explosion.
Bangchan returns through the door, just barely ducking out the way as a bullet strikes the metal behind him.
And the lights in the room go completely out, leaving us in darkness.
Then I hear multiple thuds around the room, one of them just behind me.
I hear a scream of pain from that same spot, someone on the ground.
But I can also smell burning flesh. It's so strong, and it makes me want to gag.
BANG
BANG
BANG
More gunshots. And more thuds and screams.
I turn to the person on the ground, barely able to make out their silhouette.
"Hey- Where are you hurt? You're going to be OK, I'll get you some help!" I tell them.
They just keep screaming and screaming, they won't stop.
But I recognise the voice.
It's Ryujin.
"RYUJIN!" I scream, going down on my knees beside her, trying to squint my eyes to see what's happened to her.
I take a hold of her by the shoulders, trying to prop her up so I can get a closer look.
But I quickly retract my hand.
Her skin is hot.
And burnt.
There's blood on my hands as well.
BANG
BANG
BANG
More and more gunshots. They will not stop.
"Ryujin... RYUJIN!" Someone pants behind me.
It's Yeji, she comes up behind me, trying to get to Ryujin.
"We need to get her outside! Now!" I shout to her.
I see Yeji nod her head in the darkness.
"Okay."
I count down, placing Ryujin's arm over my shoulders.
"Three."
"Two..."
"One-"
CRASH
A huge sound makes us both bail and drop to the floor, covering our ears.
Everyone starts screaming in panic, not knowing what to do.
I open my eyes.
It's bright.
The room is bright.
And abnormally quiet.
I look towards the window.
It's completely busted out. The whole pane of glass is gone.
"He's... he's dead..."
Han is standing near the edge, looking down to the drop below him.
Bang Chan bursts back into the room through the door, wondering what all the commotion is about.
Nayeon walks over to the edge, and looks down. She screams in shock, covering her eyes and mouth, stumbling back.
I scramble up, and walk over next to Han.
I look down.
And I see.
The 'bulletproof' window pane is down there, fallen to the ground.
But so is the gang leader.
And there's red blood pooling under his head.
"He's- he's dead... right?" Jisung mumbles, breathing heavily.
He looks down at the dead body, not sure how to react. Jisung had just killed a man.
Should he be happy for the murder, or not?
But he felt something else, other than any emotion.
He's feeling pain.
Jisung winces, a hand coming up to his side.
Bang Chan looks at him concerned, holding a hand out to support him if needed.
But, Jisung's face changes once he takes a look at his hand.
It's because it's covered in blood. A lot of it. And it's not the man's blood.
It's his.
"Jisung, that's blood- are- are you hurt?!?" Bangchan shouts, very concerned.
Jisung doesn't reply. He just stares down at a large bullet wound, implanted right in his chest.
Right near his heart.
He takes a few cautious steps back, but his legs buckle and he falls backwards. Bangchan is just able to catch him before he hits the ground.
Bangchan speaks to him in a rushed voice, still not seeing the wound.
"Jisung- why, why? What-"
But then he spots it, and he curses out loud. Without another word to say, he supports Jisung on the floor, and cups the other one's face in his hands.
"Cloth. I need a cloth. Something, anything, please." he orders, his voice a monotone as he tries to keep his bearings about him.
His shirt's already lost its sleeves, each side already torn off.
So, Soobin hands his (used to be) white cardigan to him, and he uses it to mop up some of the blood.
Hyunjin crouches down beside Bangchan, and holds Jisung's hand.
"I'm- I'm done for..." Jisung murmurs, his eyes starting to slowly haze.
Hyunjin shakes his head.
"No... you- you're not. Just- just stay with us." he says, small sobs breaking up his sentence.
Tears start to flow down Jisung's face.
"You- your faces... I can't see them anymore... I can't see anything..." Jisung mumbles, starting to hyperventilate.
Hyunjin tries to calm him down, holding his hand firmly.
Bangchan can see the wound clearly now; it's not good.
"I can't... I can't find the bullet... It's too deep..." he mumbles.
I can see him tensing up in the shoulders.
He knows.
We all do.
And Bangchan sits back, the bloodsoaked fabric crumpled in his hands. He's shaking.
Tears start falling down his face, but he tries to wipe them away with a bloody hand, hiding his thoughts from Jisung.
He leans forwards, and places his arm on Jisung's shoulder, stifling sobs.
"It's o- okay... You'll be alright soon. It's over now..." Bangchan says to him.
Jisung shakes his head, his mouth starting to drift ajar, as he starts losing the feeling in his body.
"Chan... I can't- I can't see anything..." Jisung mumbles.
Bangchan hushes him, patting his shoulder.
"It's okay... you can sleep now, Jisung. Close your eyes... It's alright..."
"You... you're lying... aren't- aren't you... It's not okay..." Jisung mumbles.
Bangchan bursts out in tears, hugging Jisung.
"I'm sorry, Jisung... I'm so, so sorry..." he sobs, hanging onto Jisung for dear mercy.
Jisung hugs him back, but only for a brief moment.
And then his hands turn limp.
He dies in Bangchan's arms.