ASHLEY'S P.O.V.
" Hazel...."
As soon as Taehyung muttered her name. I turned around to find a dark figure appear closer to us. I looked at Taehyung whose eyes were fixed on her. His eyes longed for her one glimpse. I wasn't really sure if he can kill her if he has to.
As expected Hazel's eyes were black and she gave the same creepy smile that Jungkook had given me, back at the mansion.
" Tae..." She said which sounded like a hiss.
" Don't listen to her, Taehyung !" I kept my guard up as I warned him.
"Look! What has he done to me ?" She cried in despair.
" I, no longer look the same. He has destroyed me completely but..." she looks at Taehyung with a pitiful look.
" But... I want to be with you. I cannot stay without you. Please, take me with you." She cried but instead of tears. Blood escaped her eyes.
" Taehyung, don't listen to her! She is not Hazel." I warned him again but his face remained blank as if trying to understand the situation.
" I want to tell you... that I missed you. I missed you so much that I tried to escape that place to come back to you. But... he hurt me so bad. Look! " She extended her arm to reveal a purplish bruised area.
" Please, take me back to your safe arms." She started walking towards Taehyung.
" BACK OFF !" I snapped at her. Her eyes which were soft turned to me with rage.
" Get out of here. Before I tear you apart." She hissed her breath.
" HE'S NOT GOING ANYWHERE WITH YOU! SO BACK OFF !"
" I don't like you. " she tilted her head to give me a creepy look.
Despite my warnings, she continued to walk towards him. I took out a dagger from the sheath on my waist and sprinted towards her.
I attacked her on the face but she defended it with a hand. Swiftly, I changed the target and aimed at her stomach but she defended it too. She twisted my wrist behind my back and pushed me ahead.
" You never got me so mad, Hazel." I hissed at her.
I did a front handspring, locking my legs around her neck as I come up, tightening the grip on her neck. But she rolled down, loosening my grip and got free from my grip.
We faced each other again. Fierce filled in our eyes as we try to outwit the other. My hold on the dagger got strong. I closed the distance between us as I swung the dagger from her left and then by the right as she missed the attack.
" You got me really mad !" I said.
She held my wrist and I kicked her with my knee in the abdomen then punched her in the face as she was recovering from my previous attack.
" You are so dead." She hissed. She raises her hand toward me.
An invisible grip on my neck made me gasp for air. The pain-filled in my body. The blood circulation was gradually slowing down. My feet left the ground.
" I told you..." she said in anger. " Don't mess with me. But you are so stubborn. Now, face the consequences." She continued.
" Ah-ha... Ta-Taeh-Taehyung! Ta-Taehyung !" I mustered all my will to call out to him.
" Hazel... leave her." Taehyung said in a commanding voice.
Hazel looked at him and Taehyung called her with open arms. I fell down and gasped for air. Taehyung held her close and was talking sweetly to her.
" You know I can't stay without you." He said.
" Why kill someone and call for unnecessary trouble ?"
" I know you wanna be with me. Let's be together forever and evermore." Taehyung gazed in my direction before casting a spell and healing me.
" I want you to remember that you loved me so much." He gave me a slight nod, indicating that it was my time to attack.
" I want you to remember that I loved Hazel, not you !"
I rose from my position and aimed at her heart as I sprinted at her with wobbly steps. Taehyung switched places with her in a swift move. I stabbed right at her heart. Making sure that the dagger went as deep as it could.
She raised her hand in defence but I caught it before she could attack. I removed my dagger, only to deepen the wound once again.
" You know even in a thousand years, I won't find a friend like you." Hazel smiled at me.
" That's cheesy. What do you want ?" I asked her sceptically.
Eva pops up from behind and answers for her.
" Pizza for dinner ! Along with some really nice sweet desserts for the night. Oh ! Also some chicken nuggets." Eva giggled.
" I asked her." I flicked her forehead.
" Does that matter? Hazel wants to eat whatever I want to eat, right ?" She asks Hazel.
" Yep." She nodded.
" You are not getting away with this !" I stabbed her again.
" Thanks for today." Hazel mumbled.
I hit her lightly on the head with a notebook.
" I don't need your ' Thank you.' Be more careful next time." I said as I dressed her wound.
" I had enough of this chasing !" I take out the dagger from her heart, raise it up and stabbed her again.
" Why are we wearing the same outfits ?" She asked.
" I had no idea that you were going to wear them today." I replied.
" I'm gonna change." She hurried back to the room.
"NO! This is perfect to showcase our friendship. Couples wear couple clothes. We'll go friends twinning ." I said locking my arm around her neck.
" I don't wanna do twinning with you." She struggles to set free.
" Today, we are cutting all ties with each other! "
I raised my dagger again but was stopped by Taehyung.
In front of me...
Laid a lifeless dead body of Hazel.
Blood escaping her body as if it has finally find it's way out.
The bloodstains on my hands and on the dagger.
The stillness of the night filled with absolutely nothing.
"STOP! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? YOU ALREADY KILLED HER !" I heard Taehyung's voice echoing in my ears.
I came back to my senses.
I killed her.
I killed her?
How could I kill her?
How could I kill someone I promised to look after?
How could I kill her?
" No. No. No. No." I let go of the dagger and held my head in my bloodstained hands.
"Ashley! Hey! Calm down !" I heard Taehyung's voice.
" I didn't do this. I couldn't do this. I couldn't kill her. I didn't kill her, Taehyung. I didn't. " I started trembling with fear and agony.
" I was... I was.. I... didn't kill her. I didn't kill Hazel. Trust me, Taehyung." I tried to justify.
" I..." I wanted to say that I didn't kill her.
But the truth was in front of me.
That I killed her.
NAMJOON'S P.O.V.
A slave came to me to report about Hoseok.
" Master, as expected the guy is here in the dungeon. What should we do about him ?"
" Do the same I did for others." I commanded as I see my slave kneeling in front of me in respect.
" Your command, my orders."
A sudden pain filled in my heart. As if someone stabbed me in the heart multiple times.
" ARGH !" I groaned in pain.
" Master !"
My shirt soaked in blood on my chest. My slaves came in thinking I was in danger.
"Argh! Leave. All of you !" I ordered them to leave me alone.
Bowing down low, they went back in the darkness. I was feeling pain in my body as if someone sucked out life from my body. I teleported to my chamber. By the time, I changed my bloodstained shirt. The wound was gone. I understood the meaning of all this.
I walked down the alleys of the hell to the darkest corners. Screams and howls of people crying for mercy filled in the air. It was a place where a human pays for their deeds. A place of torture. A place for punishment.
I crossed down the alleys into the underworld. Everyone bowed to me but I only searched for her. It was a place where the supernatural beings served in Hell after their death.
There she was!
Sitting all alone facing her back towards me.
She might've understood by the murmurings.
She turned around to look at me.
And I found her with the most innocent look.
There was no grief or no pain.
She was just numb.
She bowed low in front of me.
[ FLASHBACK ]
I walked towards the room with a knife. I turned the doorknob and opened it quietly. There she was! Lying with her hand-tied with shackles. She looked weak and injured.
I walked over to her and bend down to her level.
" Is Jane hurt ?" I asked lifting her chin.
"Huh? No answer ?" I said pretending to be shocked.
" You are still sleeping. It's okay. I'll take care of you while you sleep. " I ran my fingers through her hair.
" I'll make you stronger than you were before. I'll make you a better person. I'll make you something better than just a witch. I'll make you a monster."
" I don't plan to kill you so easily, Jane." I dig the tip of the knife into her skin and traces it down. Little seeps of blood come out from the opening.
" I'll make you feel the pain. I'll make you bleed. Such a pretty sight it would be, don't you think ?" I asked her as if expecting an answer from her.
" Let's start the fun, shall we ?" I smiled at her evilly.
" Let's start with the forehead." I placed the tip of the knife at the centre of her head.
"Should I push it through? What? No? Alright. Let's move down then." I pointed the knife at her throat now.
" Should I split your throat? Hmmm. You won't survive. I wanna take as much fun as I could. Bad idea." I pointed the knife at her heart.
But I dropped the idea. I moved down to her stomach. I looked at her. She was still unconscious.
" Hmm. This is a nice place to hurt you." I swiftly pushed the knife towards her stomach but something stopped me.
A force stopped me from doing it. I gripped the knife a lot tighter as I try to push the knife through her skin but in vain.
" WHAT KIND OF GAMES YOU ARE PLAYING, JANE ?" I roared as I stood up.
But she didn't respond.
"Oh! So you won't stop acting! Let me see, how long are you gonna play this game."
I raised my index finger and motioned it towards her hand. The knife flew towards her hand and stabbed it non-stop.
" Still, you wanna play ?" I bend down to her level.
I grasped her neck and tried to choke her but my hands felt a burning sensation. I looked at her in disbelief.
Her white armour ring was removed then...
I heard something.
A wail.
A wail of a child.
It was so faint and soft.
It was barely audible.
In a snap of my finger, a slave came in.
" Is there a child in this dungeon ?" I asked.
" Master, no child is kept in this part of the dungeon."
" THEN WHY DO I HEAR A CHILD'S WAILING ?" I shouted at him.
" My apologies, Master." The slave fell to the ground. " but there is no child in this dungeon. Every child that comes to Hell is taken to their respective part of dungeons. I swear on my loyalty to you, my lord."
Despite his statement, I continued hearing a child's wailing. Something snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked at Hazel. She laid there, tied to shackles.
I bend down and came face to face with her. I wanted to wipe the blood on her face but I couldn't do so. I was stopped by my thought.
How could I forget?
She killed my wife.
I am here for my revenge.
She is right here in front of me.
I could give her the worst of torture.
But...
Not when she is carrying a child.
There are certain rules that are followed strictly in Hell.
And one of them is...
Not hurting an unborn fetus.
With the snap of my finger, the knife stopped attacking her hand and fell to the ground like a lifeless thing.
I brushed her cheek, wiping the blood with my fingers. I slid down my hand onto her stomach. I rested my hand there for a few minutes.
Tears filled in my eyes.
For so long...
I wanted to feel how it felt.
When you place your hand onto the stomach.
To feel that there is a living being growing inside.
I wanted to feel how it felt.
To wait for nine months to pass by.
So you could finally see a beautiful child been welcomed in the new world.
I wanted to feel how it felt.
When those small fingers are wrapped around your one big finger.
I wanted to feel how it felt.
To be happy when your child calls you ' Da-da ' for the first time.
Was it too much to ask?
A beautiful wife.
A healthy child.
A happy family.
Just because I am not human.
Just because I am a devil.
Am I deprived of all these emotions and feelings?
" Master." A slave came in and dragged me back to reality.
" Hmm." I wiped my tears away.
" We are waiting for your orders, Master. What should we do with that girl ?" He asked referring to Eva who was locked in another dungeon.
" Torture her but make sure she doesn't die." I ordered.
" Your commands, my orders."
"Listen! Call the Grim-reaper."
" Yes, Master." The slave vanished in thin air.
" You called me, my Master." The boy kneeled in front of me as he kept his blade on the ground as a token of respect.
" Yeah. I have work for you."
" I'll do my best." He said.
" I want you to take out the soul of this woman and the child growing inside her."
" Soul ? " he asked. I looked at him and he held his head down.
" Do I have to repeat myself ?" I said.
He stepped in front of Hazel, ready with his blade to behead her.
" uh-uh, don't kill her. I just want the soul." I said sternly.
He nodded as he placed his hand on her chest. A beam of light with whitish colour sparkled in his hand. He held Hazel's soul in his hand. In the same way, he removed the soul of the fetus.
I called for my slaves which appeared in a fraction of seconds.
" Take this soul. It belongs to you now. You have to replace her on the Earth and make people believe that it's her." I gave away Hazel's soul to my slave. She bowed and left.
" Take the body of this woman and crucified it." I ordered the other slave. I extended my hand to Grim-reaper.
He handed me the soul of the fetus hesitantly.
" Master, what are you gonna do about it ?" He asked.
" Not something special. I'm gonna kill it." I said as I walked away.
After some time, I checked if her body was been crucified. It was so fascinating. She was dead but she was alive in someone else's body. How she was dead and alive at the very same time.
[ END OF THE FLASHBACK ]
I stood in front of her crucified body. She was finally dead. Blood dripping on the ground. Slaves who gathered around her howled in cheer. She was finally bleeding heavily. Her body was bleeding heavily with blood.
It was a sign. A sign that her soul died. If a body bleeds heavily that means the soul is dead. Jungkook and Eva were in dungeons of Hell.
The doppelganger who addressed themselves as Jungkook and Eva on Earth are mere slaves of mine who have been given their souls. Amidst all the howls, I sensed something. I sensed Ashley's death.
JIN'S P.O.V.
"Hyung! Hyung, are you okay ?" I heard Taehyung voice.
" Huh ?" I sat up.
" Where is Hoseok, hyung ?" Taehyung asked in a worried voice.
" Jungkook killed him." I replied.
I lied to him. I wasn't supposed to tell him the truth. I knew he would rather believe me blindly than point a finger at me.
After I pushed Hoseok's body down the cliff. I pretended to be injured and laid on the ground, knowing someone or the other would come to find me.
" Where is Ashley ?" I asked as he helped me up and walk to the car.
" I booked two rooms in a motel. She not in a good state." He answered sadly. Taehyung told me everything that happened last night with them. Judging by the state of Ashley, I found her as easy prey.
Being the hunter she is, she is very observant and sharp. It would be difficult to kill her if not now. I made up my mind on killing her next.
Taehyung seems pretty normal after Hazel's death. He didn't show any signs of grief as Ashley was showing. I knew he loved Hazel a lot then why suddenly he is so unbothered about her?
" Taehyung, aren't you sad that Hazel is dead ?" I asked.
"Hmm? Hazel? No. She...she wasn't Hazel. I know for sure." He replied.
" How do you know ?"
" I just know." He shrugged before continuing " That girl couldn't be Hazel. She has a different aura. I'm sure wherever Hazel would be, she would be safe."
He seemed to have a different view altogether. I myself didn't know if it was some kinda remorse he was in or he was strongly believing in his words.
" I'll just check on Ashley." I said as I rose from my seat and walked over to the next room.
I opened the door to her room and found her on the ground poisoned by my medicine. When I came to the motel, Ashley was already in her room. I gave her some medicines stating that they will put her to sleep.
But they weren't really meant for it. As I entered her room, I saw the Grim-reaper standing next to her body.
" You are late, angel. I'm taking her soul already." He said calmly.
" I'm here to see if she's dead or not." I replied.
" You really an angel? Why are you so evil? Angels are supposed to be ni-- Master !" He quickly kneels down, keeping his blade on the ground.
" Master ?"
I was just about to turn around but then I saw Namjoon walking towards Ashley's body. His eyes fixed on me.
What was he doing here?
Why has he come here?