"N-Namjoon, they're not coming out. Why aren't they coming out?" Yoongi asked Namjoon.
The two of them were hiding further down the street, out of sight from the tunnel and the road that led to it. Every ten seconds or so, Yoongi would peek around the corner to check whether Jin and Jungkook had appeared with Taehyung yet. So far, there was no sign of them.
"I guess they've decided to wait for the ambulance. Maybe Taehyungie is hurting too much and they can't get him out. I'm sure they're hiding like us, if that's the case."
Namjoon himself was getting worried as well. The ambulance could be here any moment now, only minutes had passed since the phone call was made. He didn't know what to do next. He had a few ideas of what to say when the ambulance would get here, but he was nervous about the demon. If the demon would come, they couldn't possibly send the medics into the tunnel, right? That... that could kill them. But then Taehyung wouldn't get the help he needed.
Namjoon also thought about how they hadn't seen the demon yet. There had been no glimpse of it. And if Hoseok and Jimin were right, it was on its way right now. Namjoon had no idea if it could teleport right into the tunnel. Perhaps it was already there... and they had no way of telling.
And Namjoon had tried to get Yoongi to go back with him and get Taehyung out of there together, but Yoongi had refused and almost fell into a heavy panic attack.
So what could he do? He couldn't leave Yoongi behind. There was no way he would let his hyung out of his sight for days to come. But he also couldn't force Yoongi to go back into the tunnel and help out their friends.
"Namjoon we need to save Taehyungie... he's... he's hurt."
Namjoon nodded, his arms wrapped around Yoongi. It was to comfort the elder, but Namjoon felt like it helped him too because he had his hyung safe in his arms. That hadn't been the case for a long time.
"I know, hyung. Jin-hyung and Jungkook will protect him. And the medics will heal him."
Yoongi shook his head. "T-The demon, it's in there, Hobi and Jiminie said so, didn't they? I heard it. I-It's in there. Taehyungie isn't safe!"
It pained Namjoon to see Yoongi panicking about Taehyung like this. Even though he felt close to doing the same.
"Namj- OH MY GOD YOONGI-HYUNG!"
Namjoon and Yoongi snapped their heads up at the voice of Hoseok. Both Hoseok and Jimin stood there, a man with them that Namjoon didn't recognize. By the look of his clothes, this was the shaman Hoseok and Jimin must've met with.
"Woah- you found us? This fast?" Namjoon asked incredulously. The ambulance wasn't even there yet. God, where was that thing?!
"Don't ask how we got here. It's... ehm... yeah. Not entirely legal," Jimin said, looking rather guilty.
"Jin-hyung will be so pissed," Namjoon replied, shaking his head. They had become criminals in the span of what, a few hours? He didn't feel bad about it, though. They would do anything to save their friends, even if it meant breaking laws. The wrath of Jin was just something no one was prepared for.
"HYUNG OH MY GOD OH MY GOD I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!" Hoseok screamed and- oh he was crying. Namjoon smiled sympathetically as Hoseok engulfed Yoongi in the biggest hug in the world. "I'M SO SORRY ABOUT EVERYTHING, OH MY GOD YOU'RE ALIVE, YAH, NEVER DO THAT AGAIN OKAY?! NEVER DISAPPEAR AGAIN!"
Yoongi now cried as well, but Namjoon was glad for the reunion and happy distraction, since Yoongi had been panicking about Taehyung before. Now, besides the tears, his hyung seemed a lot calmer upon seeing his two other dongsaengs.
Namjoon watched as Hoseok and Jimin hugged Yoongi and talked to him, wiping his tears and smiling at him. The shaman stood in silence, a sympathetic smile on his face. The man didn't seem that much older than them, probably somewhere in his thirties. Namjoon bowed at him.
"Hi, I'm Kim Namjoon. Are you the shaman here to help us?" he asked.
The shaman nodded. "My name is Im Dowon. Your friends called me a little sooner than expected. They visited me this afternoon."
Namjoon grimaced. "Yeah, the situation is a bit chaotic. We found our friends in that tunnel over there," he said, pointing at the entrance of the tunnel. "We only got Yoongi-hyung out, our other friend Taehyung is hurt. And the demon is either on its way or already there."
Im Dowon didn't look surprised at all at the mention of the demon. More than anything, he looked more confident in the way he carried himself. He looked calm and composed. Namjoon understood this man was experienced and ready to help them.
"What... what exactly does a shaman do? What will you do to help us?" Namjoon asked, feeling a little awkward. He hadn't believed in anything supernatural up until a few weeks ago. Of course he had read a lot about subjects such as the afterlife, spirits, even demons, just to be educated on supernatural topics. Believing in them was another story. But now that he did... he realized he had no clue what people such as shamans did, or how they could help save them from a demon.
"Shamans are mediators," Dowon replied with a smile. "We bring peace between people and the spiritual realm. We communicate with spirits, such as those of the deceased, and every once in a while, we combat diseases or evil spirits."
Namjoon looked at the man with a blank face. It was a lot to take in. "You can actually communicate with spirits?" he asked, to which Dowon nodded. "But... this is a demon. Isn't that different from an evil spirit?"
"Not much," Dowon said. "In my experience, demons have gained power somehow and developed a body of their own. Spirits are just that, spirits. No physical body, only energy."
Namjoon was confused, but didn't show it. He nodded as if he completely understood what the shaman had said.
"There are a few things you should know before we go in."
"We?" Namjoon asked, slightly alarmed.
Dowon nodded. "I will need help. I will recite verses, and use all that is in my power to expel the demon back to its own world. But it will fight."
Jimin and Namjoon looked at each other. They could read from each other's face that they were scared, but determined to do this. To fight the demon however much necessary.
"What you need to know is that we cannot let the demon leave before I have finished reciting the verses. You need to distract it, you need to fight it. You have to buy me all the time you can get."
"How do we fight it?" Jimin asked, and Namjoon turned to the shaman again as well. "We've tried before, but we were all defeated. And it took our friend."
Dowon nodded. "Yes, when unprepared, fighting a demon is a lost cause. But I will give you these," he said, holding up a few small objects in his hand. "They will protect you. Hold them while it attacks you, and your defense will be stronger. Hold them while you fight back, and your hits will do actual damage."
"They're talismans, aren't they?" Namjoon asked, recognizing the small, hand-made objects.
Dowon nodded, handing each of them a talisman. Yoongi grabbed it as if his life depended on it.
"I-I wouldn't look it in the eyes, i-if I were you," he blurted out at the shaman, earning a confused look. "It has some... some kind of powers in its eyes. Put you to sleep... show you nightmares... illusions... j-just don't look at the yellow eyes."
Namjoon felt his heart squeeze at the fear in Yoongi's eyes. It wasn't difficult to guess what the demon had done to instill such fear into his hyung (they had had a taste of it themselves in the safe house...). Namjoon felt anger bubbling up from deep inside. He forced it down for now.
"Are you all ready?" Dowon asked, moving towards the entrance to the tunnels.
"Yeah, we should get going," Namjoon nodded. He looked at the other three members. "Hoseok-ah, you stay with Yoongi-hyung, alright? Wait for the ambulance. Tell them we've fought Taehyung's kidnapper and that he's still inside, hurt."
Hoseok nodded and the sigh of relief that left Yoongi was painfully obvious. The rapper must've been anxious that he would be told to go back inside.
"Wait, we can't send the medics into the tunnels while we're fighting a demon, can we?" Jimin asked, his eyes turning big.
"We'll just have to hope that this will be over by the time they reach us in the tunnels," Namjoon replied with a grimace.
Together Namjoon, Jimin, and Dowon left Yoongi with Hoseok and walked into the tunnels. Namjoon hated how he had to go back inside, knowing what was waiting for him, knowing how awful the smell was, how terrifying the dark, but most definitely the worst part was knowing what kind of monster they were going to face.
Jimin was mostly anxious to save his best friend and get Taehyung out of there. Yoongi had mumbled a few words about the state Taehyung was in when he and Hoseok were reunited with their hyung, so Jimin knew that there was no time to waste.
Dowon was in front, confidence radiating off of him as he somehow knew exactly where to go.
The moment they passed the dead officer, Jimin almost screamed, but Namjoon had seen it coming and grabbed the singer from behind, putting a hand over his mouth.
"Shhh, it's okay," he whispered to the panicked boy. "Keep going, focus on what's ahead."
Jimin's heart was beating out of his chest and he was almost certain he was trembling, but he nodded at the leader and tried to forget about the image of a dead body on the ground.
They walked until Namjoon stopped dead in his tracks. It wasn't really a question why he stopped. The sounds coming from further down the tunnel were obvious, suddenly hitting them all at once.
Jungkook was screaming.
The demon was roaring.
Crashing and banging sounds followed.
More screaming, a mixture of the members' voices and the demon's angry curses.
Namjoon froze, realizing they were late. Maybe too late.
"H-Hyung, what do we do?" Jimin asked, eyes wide. "T-They're fighting, aren't they? They're-" He paused when he heard the most awful scream. He grabbed Namjoon's arm. "Hyung, it's hurting them!"
Namjoon didn't reply. God, this was getting way too real. Finding Yoongi and Taehyung was one thing, finding them hurt was awful, but now this. Hearing how his brothers were fighting the demon, hearing how they were getting hurt, that was something else.
Dowon put a hand on Namjoon's shoulder. "Namjoon-ssi, you have to be brave. Jimin-ssi, you too. Your friends are fighting at the end of this tunnel. And we are going to save them. Let's go."
The shaman took out a little notebook from his pocket and started reading from it as he continued forward. The words made no sense to either Namjoon or Jimin, but the two of them knew it was the start of the verses Dowon was supposed to read.
"Hyung, come on. W-We have to help them," Jimin said, dragging Namjoon out of his frozen state.
"R-Right. Sorry I froze."
"No need for apologizing. This is fucking terrifying," Jimin mumbled, almost inaudible over the sounds that echoed through the tunnels.
Talismans in hand, they followed after Dowon. The screaming grew louder. They could distinguish what the demon was cursing and what Jungkook and Jin were yelling back. For someone who didn't like cursing, Jin was shouting some horrible stuff. But none of them actually cared about that.
And then they were right at the corner. One step around it. That was all it would take.
"You think your little water there will save you, huh?" they heard the demon spit at their friends. "Pesky little humans, always standing in my way!"
Jimin visibly shivered at the awful voice that brought back memories. Namjoon saw how he held the talisman even closer and he wished he could hold onto the object like that for strength too. But he was so unfamiliar with believing in such things, that he just held it awkwardly.
"Stay the FUCK away from Taehyung, get out of here!" Jin's voice echoed through the tunnels, easily reaching them as they hid around the corner, waiting for the right moment to jump into the fight.
"You know I'm not here just for him... tell me... where is our precious Yoongi~"
"Like hell we're telling you!" Jungkook yelled. A scream followed and Namjoon flinched at the sound of their maknae in pain.
Namjoon and Jimin looked at Dowon, wordlessly asking if it was their turn yet. The moment of silence right then seemed to be lasting for hours. When Dowon nodded, they wasted no time. They jumped into action and ran around the corner.
Jimin let out a battle cry and ran straight at the demon. Namjoon first noticed how Jungkook was on the ground, glaring at the demon while clutching his arm. He looked hurt, but determined to kick some more ass. Jin looked fine, a couple of bruises here and there, but he was standing firm. Hilariously enough, he still held the water bottles like before, only now they were barely half-full.
A small wave of relief washed over Namjoon when he figured that, although they were hurt, Jungkook and Namjoon were okay. But Taehyung... where was-
"Jimin, Namjoon- what?! Wait!" Jin yelled frantically when he watched Jimin's reckless attack.
Jimin jumped on top of the demon's back, punching it in the head with the hand he held clutched around the talisman. A loud crack was heard and the demon roared in pain, grabbing for Jimin to get him off its back.
"I WILL CURSE YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES! YOU STUPID HUMANS! YOU WILL FOREVER BE DAMNED!"
To say that Jimin's punch had hurt the demon was an understatement, it seemed. It danced around with the singer on its back, its long arms swinging around until one of them managed to grab Jimin's leg and pull him off.
"L-Let me go! Fuck- yah! Put me down!" Jimin exclaimed, looking more scared now that his leg was trapped and he was held up high.
"Hyung!!" Jungkook exclaimed, halting his movements to get up. Jin tried throwing the blessed water, but all it did was make the demon hiss at the pain and swing Jimin around even more.
"Shit, Jimin!" Namjoon cursed, right as Dowon's voice turned louder in reciting the verses. The demon froze, still holding Jimin in the air by his leg. It snapped its head around to look at the shaman and growled dangerously.
"And who is THAT?!"
Dowon grinned and waved at the demon, not stopping the flow of words. The claw around Jimin's leg tightened and he let out a pained sound at the demon's growing rage.
"You think that nonsense will defeat me? HA! STUPID HUMANS! I'LL SHOW YOU HOW POWERFUL I CAN BE!"
"H-Hyung, help!" Jimin shouted as the ground started to shake. Namjoon and Jin looked at each other and nodded, the two of them charging at the demon at the same time.
The demon laughed, the deep scratchy voice thundering through the tunnels as it swept its arm that held Jimin right in front of him, hitting Namjoon and Jin as if they were bowling pins. They fell to the floor with a grunt, hands and knees scraping against the rough surface.
"You make a nice weapon, Jiminie~" the demon laughed at Jimin, who dangled a little dazedly after the collision with his hyungs.
"P-Put me down..."
"Hmmm... I'll think about it," the demon said with its toothy grin.
"Yah, let him go! Let him go and get out of here!" Namjoon yelled, unsure where he got the nerve from. He turned to Jin, who was holding his head after Jimin's shoulder had knocked right into it. "Hyung, where even is Taehyung?! Weren't you right here with him?"
Jin grunted and nodded, his eyes squeezed shut as he pointed behind the demon. Namjoon followed his gaze and his breath hitched when he only then noticed the small heap against the wall behind the demon.
"Demon grabbed 'm before we could do anything."
"Hyung woke up screaming," Jungkook added with a face full of anger, "the damn thing knocked him right back out."
Namjoon was almost relieved Taehyung was put to sleep. At least this way he didn't have to witness the fight, didn't have to feel any fear. "So now it won't let Taehyung go?"
"Not until we reveal where Yoongi-hyung is," Jungkook replied. He managed to get up on his feet without using his injured arm and went to attack the demon with the blessed water he had left.
"Fuck..." Namjoon cursed, realizing what Jungkook's words meant as the maknae attacked the demon. So it was using Taehyung more or less as a hostage. And now Jimin was caught too. They had to get to Jimin and Taehyung, distract the demon, and put up some great defense in order to get away safely.
He turned to Dowon, who was still calmly reading the verses aloud. It almost irritated Namjoon how calm the shaman was. That, and it seemed like reading the verses didn't do anything at all.
"When are these verses going to help us?!" Namjoon exclaimed.
"Yah, Namjoon-ah, haven't you noticed?" Jin hissed while the demon tauntingly held Jimin higher in the air so Jungkook couldn't reach him, laughing at how both singers struggled.
"Noticed what?! That it caught Jimin even though his attack hit? That it's still standing and holding our dongsaengs hostage!?"
"No, you idiot. Use that big brain of yours. Haven't you noticed it hasn't moved from that exact spot?" Jin hissed.
Namjoon's eyes widened slightly, watching as the demon indeed stayed in one place, even as Jungkook attacked it and even as it swung Jimin around. "It hasn't moved. It's stuck in place?"
"It's been attacking us left and right ever since it got here, but it stopped right in place when your shaman came in," Jin said, nodding at Dowon. "Might be a coincidence, but I'll take this over being attacked from every direction. We can use it to our advantage"
Namjoon's eyes hardened as he felt more determination surge through him. So the shaman was in fact helping by immobilizing the demon. Jin was right, they could use that!
"Jungkook-ah!" Namjoon yelled. Jungkook looked to the side momentarily, but he had to duck when the demon swung Jimin again. The poor boy was going to get motion sickness if this went on any longer.
"What is it hyung?!" Jungkook yelled as he tried attacking the demon once again.
"Keep attacking from the left! I have an idea!" Namjoon yelled, and this time he held the talisman more securely in his hand, having seen what Jimin achieved with it. He turned to Jin, holding out his hand to help the elder up. "Hyung, I'll attack it from the front. It will have to focus on Jungkook and me, so you might have an opening to sneak behind it and grab Taehyung."
Jin nodded, grabbing Namjoon's hand as the leader helped him to his feet. They went in the offense immediately, it was only a matter of time before the demon would go for Dowon when it realized what was going on.
Namjoon charged towards the front, where he had a full view of the demon's toothy grin and yellow eyes. Yoongi's words about not looking it in the eyes echoed through his head, and he quickly turned his gaze to where he was going to attack; right in the demon's chest, to knock the wind out of it and create an opening for Jin.
"Disgusting little humans, you will tell me where Yoongi is, or I will kill you all, there will be NOTHING left of you when I'm done! I will rip you apart, limb by limb!"
"Yoongi-hyung is safe now, you won't get to him again," Jungkook said, throwing a kick at the demon's side that didn't do much, but distracted it enough for Namjoon to be able to jump forward and slam his talisman-holding fist into the demon's chest.
The demon screeched at the contact, though it wasn't knocked over by the force of the punch. It swung Jimin around in a frenzy and Jungkook saw the opportunity to grab for the dancer, holding onto Jimin and creating a tug of war. At the same time, Jin shot behind them without being seen by the demon.
"LET GO OF HYUNG!" Jungkook yelled.
"Yahhh my leg what the fuck-!" Jimin cried out, kicking out his free leg to try and get out of the demon's grip as Jungkook held onto his arms.
"Hyung, again!" Jungkook shouted at Namjoon, who immediately brought his fist back and went in for another punch, but the demon's unoccupied arm swooped him off his feet and he landed way behind Jungkook, nearly crashing against the wall.
"Fuck!" Namjoon cursed, hissing at the pain in his limbs. When he moved to stand up, his back screamed at him. He hoped he didn't bruise it too badly. He wondered how bad it would've been if he hadn't even had the talisman to soften the demon's attacks.
He gritted his teeth and moved to run back anyway, because as soon as he got up he saw how the demon had actually thrown Jimin to crash into Jungkook, and the two were now sprawled over the ground. Jimin wasn't even trying to get up, his face contorted in pain and his hands clasped around his leg. Jungkook seemed dazed, his good arm holding his head as he tried to sit up.
"Jungkook! Jimin!" he yelled their names.
"Don't mind us, get that fucking demon!" Jimin yelled back in a strained voice.
Namjoon cursed again and turned to the demon, which had its eyes now fixated on the shaman, almost having a staring competition. His breath hitched, the demon had realized it.
He squinted his eyes and saw how Jin was trying to make no sound as he hovered over the small heap that was Taehyung, close behind the murderous creature.
"It's you, isn't it?" the demon spat as it stared at Dowon. Dowon stood his ground, words leaving his lips at an unwavering speed. "Your spells have trapped me, but you won't get rid of me that easily!"
As if the demon didn't already have freakishly long arms, it somehow managed to elongate them as it reached for Dowon.
None of them expected it. Jimin almost screamed in surprise, while Namjoon yelled 'NO!' when Dowon was pushed back and forced to momentarily stop reciting the verses. The effect was immediate.
"You will have to BEG for your lives now..." the demon laughed, grinning from ear to ear. It stepped forward slowly, no longer frozen in place and heading straight for the recovering shaman.
They couldn't let Dowon get hurt. The shaman was the only one who could get rid of the demon. If the demon got a hold of him, the fight was over.
Namjoon sprinted forward and body-slammed the demon from the side, the talisman giving him more strength. They fell, Namjoon on top of the terrifying creature while Dowon pulled himself together and wasted no time continuing with the reciting. And again, the demon was trapped in place.
"NO! YOU PESKY HUMANS! YOU WILL DIE WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!" The demon screeched, flopping around on the ground as Namjoon continued to press the talisman down on it.
"Hyung, get Taehyung out of here, now!" Namjoon told Jin.
Jin was already busy trying to scoop Taehyung up into his arms, but it proved to be a struggle. The boy was tall after all, and Jin was still unsure after the failed attempts to get Taehyung out of there safely before the demon got there. But now was his chance, so he mentally prepared himself, grabbed Taehyung firmly, and picked him up in a surge of strength and determination.
When Taehyung didn't move or make a sound, Jin just ran for it.
The demon noticed, screeching and yelling profanities as it attempted to get its leverage back. But the demon couldn't even get up, let alone get a hold of Taehyung again.
"Your time posing as Yoongi is over, demon," Namjoon spat. "You're done. You're not going to bother us ever again."
"YOU THINK THAT? YOU THINK I WON'T KILL YOU, ONE BY ONE?!" it yelled back, but as it flailed on the ground like that, and Yoongi and Taehyung were safe now, Namjoon hardly felt scared anymore.
"You've tortured them and us long enough. You can go back to the hell you came from now," Namjoon said.
At that moment, Dowon's voice raised a little higher and he motioned for Namjoon to get off the demon. The leader was a little late understanding this, so Jimin and Jungkook had to pull him back. They did so just in time.
Namjoon couldn't entirely describe what happened if he had to explain it later. The words flowing from Dowon seemed to hold real power. The demon had been trapped at first, but now it was howling and screeching as some kind of force seemed to hurt it. The shape of the demon blurred, light shone brightly, and with a firm, loud shout from the shaman, the demon disappeared.
And it disappeared, not like it had done before, not like disappearing into thin air. It disappeared with a bang, a loud crack of the air, as if a bomb had gone off and nothing remained. They were all blown back by the force of it, all but Dowon, who stood his ground impressively.
The tunnels were instantly silent.
"Is it done?" Jimin asked. Namjoon only needed one look at the shaman to confirm it.
"Yes, it's finally over."
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A/N
This is not as epic as I wanted it to be XD but I figured it to be better to just keep writing and finish this book, than to worry about how amazing it had to be. I do hope you enjoyed reading this and thank you for sticking to the book and having the patience to wait for new chapters! I can't describe how thankful I am for that <3
This is not the last chapter, btw, I would never finish things like this mwihihihi we need to see the seven of them back together, don't we?